Four minutes before he rushed to the mound to throw the first pitch of the Cardinals’ 2020 season, Jack Flaherty stepped into the dugout still wearing the black t-shirt that he stretched in, that he warmed up in, that he did all of the on-field pre-game prep in instead of his home jersey. While other teammates lined up for the National Anthem in full uniform, Flaherty’s jersey was elsewhere.
His t-shirt carried the statement he wished to make.
“Black Lives Matter,” it read.
A majority of the Cardinals had been wearing the same shirt before the game in what the team felt was a show of "unity" and support for their Black teammates and a movement toward equality.