In seconds, baseball lost its importance on Saturday in Washington. When a shooter started emptying the contents of his gun outside of Nationals Park, players had only one thing in mind: to protect people.
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Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres was one of the quickest players. He quickly motioned for family members of the players, as well as nearby supporters, to come and take cover in the players’ shelter.
If we knew on Sunday that the shooter never entered the grounds of the Nationals stadium, Tatis and his teammates, just like all the supporters gathered in the stands, could not know it at the time.
“The situation changed immediately; there were no more players or supporters ”, explained Tatis son, according to the daily Washington Post, Sunday. “I felt that all people are just human beings.”
Safe
The same story could be heard in the Nationals clan. In particular from the mouth of the manager Dave Martinez, who lived, a little helpless, the agitation which shook all those who were present.
“I heard the shots, obviously, right away. I looked over the cover at third base, where I thought the shots were coming from, Martinez said. And at this particular moment … I had no idea what was going on, but I wanted to make sure everyone was safe. It all happened so fast. People started to get a little frantic, which we don’t blame. When a situation like this arises, you try to follow protocol. But honestly, the protocol is to get safe and take care of your families. ”
Sunday, the match resumed, but without a part of the supporters who preferred to stay away, far from the stadium. Asked if he felt safe in his adopted hometown, Martinez offered an unequivocal answer, however.
“I love this city. This city is my home, he said. It can get crazy, we all know that. And we all want to feel safe. I can tell you inside this stadium I feel safer than ever, really. We care about each other. We don’t want anyone to be hurt. ”
