Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday afternoon that he will not be throwing the first field at the Texas Openers home opener, as scheduled, due to Major League Baseball’s response to laws recently passed in Georgia.
“I was looking forward to throwing the first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ home opener battle until @MLB adopted a false story about Georgia’s electoral law reforms. It’s shameful that America’s pastime is being influenced by partisan politics.” the Republican governor tweeted.
In an additional statement, Abbott said he would not “participate in an event held by MLB, and that the state does not want to host the All-Star Game or any other special event for the MLB.”
MLB announced Friday that the Atlanta All-Star Game will be moved from Atlanta in response to a new law in Georgia that concerns civil rights groups about the possibility of restricting access to votes for coloreds.
Commissioner Rob Manfred took the decision to move the All-Star Game and the events, along with the amateur concept, from Atlanta to talks with individual major leagues and the Players Alliance, an organization of black players founded after the death of George Floyd last year.
Last month, the Government of Georgia, Brian Kemp, signed a comprehensive Republican-sponsored bill that includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over the way elections are held. The bill, which also bans volunteers from distributing food and water to voters waiting in line, was finalized on March 25 about 25 miles from Braves Stadium, Truist Park.
The new voting law came in the wake of the first Democratic victories in presidential and senate elections in Georgia in a generation, prompting repeated unproven allegations by former President Donald Trump that the state’s election was fraudulent. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. ballot paper. access in democratically leaning urban communities.
In his statement on Monday, Abbott chastised MLB for “refuting false political statements”.
After a 1-2 series in a season-opening series against the Kansas City Royals, the Rangers will return on Monday afternoon to a full-fledged crowd at Globe Life Field for their home opening game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
This report used information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.