AKRON, Ohio — There will be no Fourth of July baseball at Canal Park.
The Akron RubberDucks have postponed Monday night's game against the Altoona Curve amid a downtown curfew that is set to go into effect at 9 p.m. Mayor Dan Horrigan issued the order amid civil unrest following the shooting death of Jayland Walker by Akron police, with bodycam video released Sunday showing officers shot Walker dozens of times.
"Early yesterday, we had several peaceful protests in the downtown footprint related to the officer-involved shooting of Jayland Walker," Horrigan noted in a statement while also thanking those demonstrators for their efforts. "However, as night fell and others began to join, the protests became no longer peaceful. There was significant property damage done to downtown Akron. Small businesses up and down Main St. have had their windows broken."
The RubberDucks had already postponed Sunday's "Let Three-Dom Ring" postgame movie and fireworks show "out of respect for the city-wide day of mourning." With today's game now rescheduled, the July 4 fireworks show has also been canceled.
"The Akron RubberDucks want to thank all the fans for their patience and wish everyone a safe and healthy 4th of July," the Guardians' Double-A affiliate wrote.
The Guardians later issued their own statement supporting the RubberDucks' decision to postpone the game while also expressing their sadness at Walker's death.
A makeup date for Monday's game has not been announced, but the RubberDucks and Curve will resume play Wednesday, July 6, at 6:35 p.m. following a scheduled day off Tuesday. Fans with tickets to tonight's contest can exchange them for any remaining matchup at Canal Park this season by either calling 330- 253-5151 or emailing ticketservice@akronrubberducks.com.