Angels Pitcher Takes A Knee, Talks Civil Rights With Fans

ANAHEIM, CA — Relief Pitcher Keynan Middleton of the Los Angeles Angels explained taking a knee during the national anthem Monday night at Petco Park, before their 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

As professional baseball resumes to empty stadiums across the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic, so has peaceful protest. And this week, Middleton expressed his thoughts about kneeling during the national anthem, a practice famously attributed to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and carried on since by various players in professional sports, particularly as part of the call to action by the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Middleton's Twitter account bears the banner of a black jersey with 42 — the number of famed Black baseball player Jackie Robinson. According to his statement, both Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were heavy on his mind during the playing of the national anthem before the San Diego game.

"Racism is something I've dealt with my entire life," Middleton wrote on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. "As a Black man in this country, it is my obligation to want to better the future for generations to come.

"Over the past few months, I've been out in the community taking part in peaceful protests and having the difficult conversations that are needed for change.

"Before pioneers like Jackie Robinson, a Black man didn't have a voice in the game of baseball. The foundation laid down, and sacrifices made by Jackie and others is the reason I have the platform I do.

"I will not allow that to go to waste. Kneeling, for me, is one way I can use my platform for change in a peaceful way. I have the utmost respect for all the brave men and women that served this country.

"We must all take this fight against racial injustice seriously. Until things start to change in this country, and my brothers and sisters don't have to live in fear I will be using my platform to implement change.

"Martin Luther King Jr. once said, 'An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.'

"Through this, I strive to be a voice for unity."

As baseball began anew amid the pandemic, several members of the San Francisco Giants and manager Gabe Kapler also took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before their exhibition game Monday night in Oakland against the Athletics.

As many lent support to the movement, others looked upon it with disdain, including President Donald Trump.

"Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!" he tweeted Tuesday.

The Angels drafted the 27-year-old Middleton in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. He made his major league debut in 2017. He has a 6-1 record with nine saves and a 3.23 ERA in 91 appearances, all in relief.

Middleton missed most of the 2018 and 2019 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

On Monday, the Angels defeated the Padres, 1-0 on an unearned run in the first inning.

David Fletcher scored from second base when pitcher Garrett Richards fielded a ground ball by Tommy La Stella and threw to second base in an attempt to start a double play and the ball went into center field.

On Wednesday, the Angels will again face the San Diego Padres for the second time in three days.

City News Service contributed to this report.