Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday afternoon that he will not be throwing out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers' home opener, as had been scheduled, because of Major League Baseball's response to voting laws recently passed in Georgia.
"I was looking forward to throwing out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers' home opening game until @MLB adopted what has turned out to be a false narrative about Georgia's election law reforms. It is shameful that America's pastime is being influenced by partisan politics," the Republican governor tweeted.
In an additional statement, Abbott said that he will not "participate in an event held by MLB, and the State will not seek to host the All-Star Game or any other MLB special events.