Xander Bogaerts is ready to see change in the world.
The Boston Red Sox’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed Thursday, along with a slew of other games, to help bring awareness to social injustice.
The postponements come in the wake of Jacob Blake being shot in the back by a Wisconsin police officer.
Jackie Bradley Jr., the Red Sox’s only Black player, planned to sit out had Boston and Toronto played. But his teammates also wanted to support him.
“Hearing the stories they’ve had to go through in the past, it’s sickening to hear and to have people go through stuff like that, it’s not right,” Bogaerts said during a Zoom press conference Thursday. “There’s no place, no room for that, for those types of actions. I’m 100 percent in support of just making this country better, helping it to get better and I know it’s not going to take one day, man.
“This is something that’s been going on for a lot of years now and it won’t change in one day, but today was a good step forward,” he added. “… We’re 100 percent behind Jackie.”
Nathan Eovaldi revealed the moment he knew postponing the game was the right thing to do.
“He came up and gave us a big hug afterward,” the pitcher said on Zoom. “He gave me a big hug after and it just solidified the decision that we made.”
As of now, the Red Sox are scheduled to open up a three-game set against the Washington Nationals on Friday.
