Nearly two weeks after San Francisco Giants Pride Night sparked outrage—after three pitchers wore Bible verses on their Pride hats and one declined to wear the hat—team president and CEO Larry Baer finally spoke on KNBR, saying the ownership group has supporte
When it finally came, Larry Baer’s message sounded less like a press response and more like a concession to the anger that had been building for nearly two weeks.
On Thursday. the San Francisco Giants president and CEO stepped onto the airwaves of the team’s flagship radio station KNBR to address Pride Night fallout—one that had centered on three pitchers who wore Bible verses on their Pride hat and on another pitcher. Sam Hentges. who declined to wear the Pride hat. Fans. especially in the LGBTQ community. had been upset at what they described as a lack of response by team officials after the June 12 incident.
Baer framed his comments as coming “from the heart. ” saying he wanted to speak directly to fans before the interview moved on. “This ownership group has been really involved in supporting the LGBTQ community — it’s strong and unwavering for over 30 years now. ” he said. calling out the scale of the team’s long-running effort and emphasizing that “the experience at our ballpark” is meant to be welcoming. He added, “That has not changed. … That will not change. Our park should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued.”.
Baer also acknowledged the emotional temperature of what happened. “I know we’ve heard from many fans, and I know there are deep feelings about the events of Pride Night this year. We know it. We’ve heard. We’re listening,” he said.
He pointed to Giants initiatives tied to the LGBTQ community, including the team’s Until There’s a Cure Day. Baer described it as “the first of its kind in pro sports. ” beginning in 1994 during the AIDS epidemic. and said the Giants still hold the event. with the next one scheduled for Aug. 10. He also said the Giants are one of two teams—along with the Dodgers—to wear Pride hats.
For many supporters, though, the larger issue wasn’t whether the Giants have a history of Pride-related involvement. It was the silence they felt after the June 12 moment. when Landen Roupp. Ryan Walker and JT Brubaker wore a Bible verse on their Pride hat and Sam Hentges declined to wear the Pride hat at all.
That silence became its own story.
According to what fans shared publicly. and what many also passed along to the Chronicle and other media outlets. complaints flooded in after the Giants failed to address the situation beyond more than a statement. Tuesday. Buster Posey—president of baseball operations and the man who spoke to the media—acknowledged the issue but declined to talk about Pride Night concerns. repeatedly deflecting questions about the topic.
Baer’s appearance on KNBR Thursday raised another practical question: why wasn’t he sent to handle the duties when Posey had been scheduled?. The reports say it was unclear why the Giants did not send Baer then; the update on Thursday was that he swapped in for Posey. who’d been scheduled to appear on KNBR.
The timing of Baer’s message landed amid wider uncertainty over how MLB will treat religious expression on the field.
There is reason to believe the Giants are also watching the legal pressure forming around Major League Baseball. The Department of Justice has issued threats to investigate MLB for denying pitchers’ freedom of religious expression after MLB said players are not allowed to write anything of any kind on their hats. Even so. the source notes that no fines were issued. and the players said they do not believe they were discriminated against.
In the meantime. Baer tried to close the gap that fans had been pointing to—promising continued conversations with LGBTQ community members “going forward. ” and saying the organization had “learned a lot in the last 11 days.” “Yes. we could have handled things better this year. for sure. ” he said. then asked fans to move on and turn to other topics. while insisting the core promise—an experience at the ballpark for all fans—remains the same.
San Francisco Giants Larry Baer Pride Night Buster Posey KNBR LGBTQ community Landen Roupp Ryan Walker JT Brubaker Sam Hentges Until There’s a Cure Day Department of Justice Major League Baseball religious expression