Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks Kneel During National Anthem
Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks became the first members of the Yankees to kneel during the national anthem on Saturday evening.
Both outfielders went down on one knee while the anthem was played at Nationals Park ahead of New York's second game of the season against the Washington Nationals.
This comes two days after both the Yankees and Nationals participated in a unified demonstration, collectively kneeling prior to the national anthem on Thursday. Both clubs wore "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts and knelt in unison after holding a 200-yard black "unity ribbon."
Here's what Stanton had to say Thursday night after kneeling with his teammates:
"I just thought it'd be a good idea and pretty powerful to have everyone kneel at the same time," the designated hitter said. "Just to give hope and for any overall reason you want to do it. For me, it's for racial justice and Black lives in general."
As Stanton and Hicks knelt, with their hats placed over their hearts, infielder DJ LeMahieu stood close by. Nobody on the Nationals knelt.
Unlike the peaceful protest on Thursday, where 35 members of the Yankees organization were in a row down the left-field line, only a fraction of New York's players and coaches were on the field during the anthem.
This story will continue to be updated with more information.
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