The regular season doesn’t begin for the Indians until Friday, but the team knows it’s never too early to make a statement.

Before their 5-3 victory over the Pirates on Saturday night at PNC Park in their first exhibition game of Summer Camp, the Indians collectively decided to bring awareness to racial inequality and social injustice in the nation by putting one hand on their chest and the other on a teammate’s shoulder.

“I think it’s just to show respect for our country but show empathy for people that maybe need it,” Indians manager Terry Francona said via Zoom after the game. “And the last thing we ever want to do is be disrespectful to anybody. [We’re at a] time in our country where showing some unity and some empathy and some solidarity is also a good thing.”

“As a team, we understand it’s time for change and change is due,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said via Zoom. “So, with that being said, we’re all standing together and bringing awareness to what’s happening around us is extremely important because some things need to change.”

The Indians had a meeting earlier this week to open the floor for players to speak about the movements that have taken place all across the nation over the last few weeks. That meeting lasted more than three hours, and Francona said the players will be hosting their own meeting on Sunday to continue the conversation.

“We had a good long meeting,” Lindor said. “And there’s conversations to be [had], and we have to continue to have more conversations because this is not a one-time thing. People have been fighting for their rights for Black lives and people of color for the longest time, and this is just not something for now. It’s not a one-time thing.

“We’re going to continue to talk. And as players, we have a great platform to let the world know what’s happening and that we can do something about it. It might not be overnight, but change needs to be done.”