MLB issues warning to Giants players who wrote Bible verses on Pride caps

SAN FRANCISCO - Major League Baseball has reportedly issued a warning to several San Francisco Giants pitchers who wrote Bible verses on their specialized hats during the team's Pride Night celebration.

Bible verses on Pride caps

Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp, along with relievers J.T. Brubaker and Ryan Walker, all wrote verses on their rainbow Pride caps during Friday night's game against the Chicago Cubs. 

Another member of the bullpen, reliever Sam Hentges, opted against wearing the specialized Pride Night hat entirely, entering the game in a standard Giants hat instead.

‘God’s covenant'

What they're saying:

When asked about the inscriptions after the game, Roupp explained his motivation for the writing.

"It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that he makes to us," Roupp told reporters last week. "That's just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I'm thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want ... and express what we want."

"There's no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God," he added.

MLB reportedly informed The Athletic that the writing on the caps violates league uniform rules, and officials have warned the players about potential future violations.

Critics say displaying the verses during Pride Night sent a different message to LGBTQ fans.

Sister Roma previously helped produce Giants Pride events.

"I don’t have anything against Bible verses. In fact, I think some of them are quite beautiful. The problem I have is when people weaponize their Bible verses," Sister Roma said.

"We’re just trying to have one night when sports fans and queer and trans people can come together and celebrate our beautiful city and our amazing San Francisco Giants, and it really brought a damper on the entire event," she added.

Giants support Pride Nights

The other side:

San Francisco first added a Pride component to its uniforms in 2021. 

The day after the brouhaha, the San Francisco Giants issued a statement, doubling down on their support of Pride Nights.

"The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued. We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations.

"We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that. Those choices do not change our organization's commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all. We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration."

Local leaders and national politicians react

The issue of Pride and baseball doesn't appear to be going anywhere fast. 

San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who is gay and was invited to Friday's game, said the players’ actions took away from the intended focus of the event.

"Most Major League Baseball teams have nights that celebrate the diversity of their cities, and when you’re representing for a city and you have the name San Francisco on your uniform, you should honor that, and maybe if you have a disagreement about some aspect of it, probably keep that out of it," Dorsey said.

"The LGBTQ-plus community is by any measure an important part of San Francisco, and if we’re gonna have Heritage Nights and Pride Nights, we should celebrate the LGBTQ-plus community too. So, it was disappointing to see that sort of politicized."

Tuesday morning, Vice President J.D. Vance posted to X: "Trump won we don't have to do this anymore." His comment was attached to a Sports Illustrated article about MLB's warning to the team. 

State Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running for Congress, issued a statement of his own, saying MAGA leaders are attacking MLB for their warnings to the Giants. 

"On San Francisco Giants Pride Night — also the tenth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre — several players defaced their Pride caps with a biblical passage that has been hijacked by homophobes to ‘take back’ the rainbow from LGBTQ people. The players could have displayed this passage any night of the year but chose to do it only on Pride Night."

Wiener went on to chastise the Giants' management for not taking immediate disciplinary action. He added that the Giants should commit to the rules on not defacing their uniforms, and "not create a homophobia exemption to those rules." 

Wiener compared what transpired to these few players hijacking their employees' job-related event to promote their own "hateful beliefs." 

"MLB didn't warn these players for their faith. Rather, it warned them for violating the rules of their employment," Wiener said. 

Still, others aligned with the GOP characterized this as MLB punishing the players for their faith. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott weighed in on X, praising the Texas Rangers for hosting a "Faith and Family Night" instead of a Pride Night.

Prior Pride controversy

This isn't the first time Pride celebrations have had controversial run-ins in the major leagues. In 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers famously disinvited the LA Chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their Pride Night event and rescinded their "Community Hero Award". At the time, the Dodgers said their decision was due to people who felt the Sisters, who wear nuns' habits, were mocking their faith. 

The backlash was swift, and the team ended up re-inviting the group to the event and apologized. 

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group that calls themselves queer and trans nuns, was formed in San Francisco in 1979 and have since raised money for charities, do outreach work, and promote human rights. 

What's next:

It remains to be seen if the Giants pitchers will dig their heels in, or if an apology is forthcoming. 

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