Their lone active African American player was uncomfortable taking the field on a day of widespread social injustice sports walkouts, so they decided he would not be alone.

Dominic Smith was the only New York Met to kneel during the national anthem, and was left alone to conduct a tearful videoconference during which he tried to explain his feelings.

While more postponements and acts of solidarity occurred Thursday, the message was clear: Throughout a baseball world not known for social awareness, teammates didn’t immediately understand.

While the NBA and WNBA and MLS were shutting down games and some NFL teams were shuttering practices in protest of the Kenosha, Wis., police shooting of Jacob Blake, most baseball folks pulled their caps low and looked the other way.

“When I saw that, I definitely made the connection with Pee Wee and all the players who supported Jackie,” said Fred Claire, former Dodgers general manager and longtime employee.

This unity spread to the front office, which supported manager Dave Roberts in his separate decision to also sit out Wednesday’s game.