Former Red Sox Champion Kneels During National Anthem

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler knelt alongside another coach and three players during the national anthem ahead of Monday's exhibition in Oakland.

Kapler, an outfielder on the 2004 World Series Red Sox team, became the first manager to kneel during the anthem. He knelt alongside Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Red Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski, and three others, including Jaylin Davis, the Giants' only Black player.

It had been nearly three years since the first and only MLB player to take a knee during the anthem. Former A's catcher Bruce Maxwell took a knee Sept. 23, 2017, at the same field as Monday night's game took place.

As sports looks to return after a months-long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's unclear how teams and individual players will protest social injustice and systemic racism. The first MLB regular-season game is scheduled Thursday night, when the New York Yankees take on the World Series champion Washington Nationals less than 4 miles from the White House.