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Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks Kneel During National Anthem

New York Yankees' outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks knelt during the national anthem before Game 2 of the regular season in Washington D.C.
Max Goodman|
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks Kneel During National Anthem
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."

READ: How the Yankees' Demonstration of Unity – Kneeling Before National Anthem on Opening Day – Came to Be

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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For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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