Three San Francisco Giants pitchers who were warned by MLB for altering Pride caps say they don’t view the warning as discrimination—just enforcement of a uniform rule. The comments came days after the Department of Justice announced an investigation into Majo
By the time the warnings reached clubhouse conversations, the discussion had already grown louder than the Pride logo on the hats.
Hours after the Department of Justice announced an investigation into Major League Baseball and after the league warned four San Francisco Giants pitchers about altering their caps on the team’s Pride night, three of those players said they did not feel discriminated against by MLB.
Relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote a Bible verse on the rainbow Giants logo. while Sam Hentges did not wear the hat at all for the Giants’ June 12 game at Oracle Park. Before their game at Miami on Friday evening. the three told the San Francisco Chronicle that MLB’s warning for defacing their uniform rule did not amount to discrimination.
“At the end of the day I don’t think it’s discrimination,” Brubaker said. “It’s just people getting a hold of something and turning it into something.”
Brubaker and Walker, joined by starting pitcher Landen Roupp, wrote the 9:12-16 verse near the rainbow “SF” logo and received warnings for violating MLB’s uniform rule. Roupp pitched Friday at Miami and declined to comment, the Chronicle reported.
Hentges. asked about whether he felt discriminated against. told the Chronicle. “I don’t feel discriminated against.” He added. “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. They can feel how they want about me or what I have done, but it wasn’t out of hate. I don’t hate the community. It’s gotten bigger than anticipated and drawn more attention than everybody thought.”.
When Walker was asked if he felt pressured to wear the Pride cap. he said: “I wouldn’t say I necessarily felt pressured by anybody. necessarily. It was more so questioning myself and what does my faith mean to me. More like. I have my beliefs in myself and what am I going to do to make sure I stand for my faith in myself versus feel pressured to wear this because such-and-such.”.
The Chronicle reported that Giants players discussed the Pride night actions weeks in advance among themselves and staffers.
The dispute is not new in its themes. but it has reignited national attention—and intensified scrutiny inside San Francisco’s LGBTQ community. The particular Bible verse on the caps was first scrawled by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw in 2025. and LGBTQ supporters have said the verse is an attempt to reclaim the rainbow symbol from their movement.
For the Giants. the backlash has landed on a franchise that has long framed its community outreach as a direct response to public resistance. The Giants were the first team to hold a promotion specifically geared toward the community. beginning in 1994 with their “Until There’s A Cure” day—designed to raise funds and awareness for AIDS victims.
That history made the criticism sting for some longtime voices tied to the club. Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow was among those criticizing the players. In a talk-show sequence on the club’s flagship radio station. Krukow said. “I think when you’re a player and you come into this environment. it’s your responsibility to know just how sensitive this city is in regards to that cultural freedom and religious freedom. and just the way that you live your life.”.
Krukow continued, “And I think they were in for a rude awakening with the response, and it wasn’t just from the gay community; it was from the Northern California community that supports the gay community.”
He added a personal note about why the moment hit him: “It hurt me because I saw in 1994 that they were the first team to ever take on the challenge of going against public opinion and the outrage of even associating with the gay community. and they openly went out and said. ‘We support the gay community. We support Until There’s A Cure day. We are going to raise money to fight AIDS. We support the community.’ And they did it with love.”.
The players’ comments arrive at a charged moment for MLB. The DOJ announced its investigation Friday. June 19. and the pitchers issued their remarks before their game at Miami later that evening—leaving the question of what counts as religious expression. what counts as uniform compliance. and where the line should be to be tested far beyond a single Pride night at Oracle Park.
San Francisco Giants MLB Pride night cap warning uniform rule Department of Justice investigation JT Brubaker Ryan Walker Sam Hentges Landen Roupp Bible verse 9:12-16 Clayton Kershaw Mike Krukow Oracle Park
Uniform rules are uniform rules I guess.
So they got warned for changing the Pride caps?? That seems kinda like discrimination to me even if the players say it’s not. DOJ investigating MLB too like… what did MLB expect when they already made it a whole thing.
Wait I thought Pride night means anything goes? If they wrote a Bible verse on the rainbow logo then yeah maybe it breaks the uniform thing, but also isn’t it still kinda the whole point of being tolerant and letting people express? Idk I’m just confused why MLB is so strict about it.
The way the article reads it’s like DOJ is investigating MLB and now suddenly everybody’s mad about caps. But if the rule is you can’t alter the hat, then don’t alter the hat. Also Sam Hentges not wearing it at all is like… did he get in trouble too? I feel like people will call anything discrimination nowadays, even when it’s the league enforcing the same rule for everyone, which is what they’re saying.