Giants pitchers take bold faith stand on Pride Night, writing Bible verses on caps 

As fans and teammates celebrated the San Francisco Giants’ annual LGBT Pride Night on Friday, four pitchers made a statement rooted in Scripture.

The Giants held the annual event during a game against the Chicago Cubs, featuring special rainbow-themed jerseys for fans and a pregame vow-renewal ceremony for same-sex couples led by drag performer and emcee Peaches Christ.

But none of those Pride Night activities generated as much attention as the actions of three Giants pitchers – Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker – who wrote Genesis 9:12-16 alongside the rainbow-themed SF logo on their caps. A fourth pitcher, Sam Hentges, chose not to wear the special hat and instead wore his traditional cap.

In those verses, God declares the rainbow to be a sign of His covenant with humanity following the flood.

All four pitchers saw action in the game, and despite the Giants’ loss, the quartet drew support from faith communities nationwide.

Hentges told local media he felt as though he was “being forced to support” something he does not “morally support.”

“But, there wasn’t hatred behind it,” Hentges added. “I think that’s something that’s misinterpreted. I don’t hate the LGBTQ community, but it’s just something that I believed and talked with teammates and family. They supported it, so we did it.”

Roupp, the Giants’ starting pitcher that night, said he was motivated by a desire to point to the biblical meaning of the rainbow.

“The rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant to us, and us as believers stand firm in that,” he said.

“I believe in God, and that’s me,” Roupp said.

Asked if he had a response to those who viewed the message as offensive, Roupp replied, “First of all, as a believer, I would push them to read the Bible.”

“God has blessed me in so many ways, and I don’t think I’d be here right now if it wasn’t for Him,” Roupp said. “There’s no hate in it at all. … I’m just thankful that God’s put me in this situation, that I can go out and share His Kingdom.”

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is believed to have been the first player to write Genesis 9:12-16 on a Pride Night cap, doing so in 2023. Unlike the Giants pitchers, however, Kershaw did not appear in the game and drew relatively little attention for the gesture.

By contrast, the Giants pitchers have drawn criticism from California Sen. Scott Wiener, sports media figures and LGBT advocates. Brady Klopfer of McCovey Chronicles labeled the gesture “bigoted,” while Mark Powell of FanSided said the three players “hid behind a 2,000-year-old book.”

Meanwhile, the Giants issued a statement saying the players’ actions had “caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community.” At the same time, the organization emphasized that it respects “that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations.”

This season, 29 of Major League Baseball’s 30 clubs either have held or will hold similar Pride Night celebrations. The lone exception is the Texas Rangers, which instead scheduled a Faith and Family Night. Theirs is part of efforts by various organizations and states to reclaim June for traditional family values, as The Lion previously reported.