Bucs join Cards for on-field display of unity

With the Pirates lined up as a team along the third-base line at Busch Stadium on Friday night, center fielder Jarrod Dyson took a knee in the grass as Kennedy Holmes began singing the national anthem. Walking behind the rest of Pittsburgh’s players as they stood in place, manager Derek Shelton quickly moved down the line to stand by Dyson’s side.

“We're searching for change in this world and equal opportunities and justice. It just meant a lot,” Dyson said afterward. “I'm behind my community 110 percent, and we're just searching for change in this world. It was good getting everybody behind me and encouraging me to do what I did. I feel great about it.”

All uniformed personnel took part in a planned display before Friday’s Opening Day game between the Pirates and Cardinals in St. Louis, with players holding a 200-yard black cloth in a show of unity prior to the anthem. The Cardinals stood for the anthem, as did everyone on the Pirates except Dyson, the 35-year-old outfielder from McComb, Miss. When the anthem ended, Dyson stood up and hugged Shelton.

“I give everything I've got when I'm out there taking the field for him,” Dyson said. “And for him to back me up like that, that's a special moment for me.”

Shelton said he was aware that Dyson was going to kneel, and he wanted to show his support by standing beside him. Dyson made it clear that taking a knee was a personal decision, and he said he is “all for” anyone else choosing to kneel or stand during the anthem.

“I'm glad that MLB and sports have kind of taken the reins off of the ‘stick to sports’ narrative. People are using their platforms to speak out,” starter Trevor Williams said Friday afternoon. “I think it's awesome to see guys take control of their platform and take control of what they want to change.

“It just speaks volumes around the league what we've been able to do. … I think it's amazing. I'm proud of the guys on the team that are stepping up and taking that initiative, not only my Black teammates, but also all my teammates [who] have been stepping up and really looking in the mirror and becoming more educated in all facets.”

Pittsburgh’s players, particularly first baseman Josh Bell, have shown a willingness to speak out about issues related to social justice, racial inequality and police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer over Memorial Day weekend.

When asked on July 14 to speak about racial justice in America, Dyson offered a powerful statement.

"We try our best, and being an African American, you know, I'm from Mississippi, where I've seen a lot of racist stuff going on. But at the same time, I've got to live life,” Dyson said. “I can't, you know, go home every night worried about why they act like that -- why someone would want to be racist toward me. At the same time, I’ve got to still tell my child how to go about his life the right way and not be racist toward nobody, no matter how they are toward you.

"Honestly, you know, we get tired of seeing it as a whole, African Americans. We do. And I don't think it's so much we can do. I think it's more so the people that's being racist need to do more than us. We can march. We can hold signs all day. But I can't change you. You're going to have to change you. So whoever is going to be racist in the world, you know, they need to go home and look themselves in the mirror and realize they ain't in this world by themselves. That's how I look at it.

"I don't want to be in a world with just Black people. I want to be in a world with all races, and I look at everybody the same. Because I have a lot of good white friends and Latin friends that I consider as brothers to me. And I'm not going to stop treating them the same way I treat them because, you know, people want to be racist toward Black people. My friends, my friends. My family, my family. I love all. I don't hate no one. I just wish people would change themselves instead of waiting for us to push an agenda across to make them change.

"You know if you're racist or not. I don't have to tell you that. You wake up, you know what's on your mind. You know how you view other people, and you know how you view yourself and your own kind. So, I love all."

Many players from both teams took the field for batting practice on Friday wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts, as well as T-shirts commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues.

“I think the most important statements that happen are how our players act and what they say not only today, but publicly and moving forward. And that’s why I’ve been really happy with our group and how they’ve been, not only on social media, but how they’ve been outwardly in the community,” Shelton said. “That’s the most important statement. The most important statement isn’t something we do Opening Night or we do tomorrow. It’s how we continue to live, how we continue to grow, how we continue to educate ourselves. So a one-night statement, it carries weight, but what we do moving forward as an organization and as a team, I think, is the most important thing.”