Three San Francisco Giants pitchers received a warning from Major League Baseball this week after writing Bible verses to their team-issued caps during last Friday’s ‘Pride Night’ game against the Chicago Cubs.
The Controversy
As reported on Wednesday’s AM Update, starting pitcher Landen Roupp (above) wrote “Genesis 9: 12 through 16” beside the Giants’ rainbow-colored logo. The passage describes God placing a rainbow in the clouds as the sign of His covenant with Noah and promising never again to destroy all life with a flood.
After the game, Roupp told reporters he intended the message to be an expression of his Christian faith:
REPORTER: Why was it important to make that known tonight?
ROUPP: Kind of what the verse says, you know, the rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant to us and us as believers stand firm in that. But… there’s no hate at all. It’s just what I want to stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God… I think God has blessed me in so many ways, and I don’t think I’ll be here right now if it wasn’t for him.”
Relief pitchers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker also took the mound with Bible verse references on their Pride Night hats, while a fourth pitcher, Sam Hentges, declined to wear the special-issue hat altogether. Instead, he took the field in the Giants’ traditional black-and-orange cap.
Hentges was asked about his decision after the game. “It’s just something that I feel like I was forced to support when I don’t morally support it,” he told the media. “There wasn’t hatred behind it. I think that’s kind of something that’s misinterpreted.”
Apology Tour
MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney released a statement Monday condemning the players’ actions. “The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” it read.
Separately, the Giants organization issued its own apology. “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,” the statement read. “Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all.”
But the backlash from those supporting the pitchers was swift. Following the criticism over its initial response, MLB later clarified in a follow-up statement that the warning was not disciplinary and had “absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message.”
The league explained its uniform regulations prohibit players from writing anything on team apparel or equipment. ”We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad,’ ‘Happy Mother’s Day,’ ‘I Love Mom,’ and names of family members,” it claimed.
The limited-edition Pride hats were first approved by the team brass in 2021 when the team CEO declared the men allies of the LGBTQ+ community. “But apparently not the biblical community,” Megyn noted, “which is too divisive.”
You can get all the day’s headlines by tuning into the AM Update with Megyn Kelly on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch AM Update on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111).