The San Francisco Giants were the first MLB team to include Pride colors on their uniforms in 2021. But their latest Pride Night at Oracle Park featured some dissenters, as four pitchers had opposing views. They either ditched the Giants’ Pride Night cap or wrote biblical verses across the rainbow caps. This led to backlash in the community, and it forced the franchise to issue an apology.

“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,” the statement read, issued on Saturday, per The San Francisco Standard. “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.”

Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker went with biblical verses on their Pride cap, while Sam Hentges just wore the Giants’ regular cap. The action obviously did not sit well with fans, who called it a disrespect to the LGBTQ community. Hentges revealed to The San Francisco Standard that other Christian players shared the same beliefs about the LGBTQ+ movement and collectively made a decision.

“It’s just something that I feel like I was forced to support when I don’t morally support it,” Hentges told the media outlet. “There wasn’t hatred behind it. I think that’s kind of something that’s misinterpreted. I don’t hate the LGBTQ community. It’s just something I believed and talked with teammates and family, and they supported it.”

The verses Roupp wrote on his hat on Friday were from Genesis 9:12-16. It is the same biblical verse that Clayton Kershaw wrote on his hat last season during the Dodgers’ Pride Night.

The Giants started a series against the Chicago Cubs on Pride Night. They suffered humiliating losses (5-1 and 6-1) on Friday and Saturday before ending the series finale with a 5-1 win. Landen Roupp started against the Cubs on Friday. He surrendered 4 earned runs and 2 walks across 4.2 innings. With a 29-43 record, the Giants hold the second-worst rank in the league, just one place above the Colorado Rockies.

The dissenters’ actions caused a stir among the fanbase, causing some fans to write protest letters to the franchise. Kate Freudenberger, a Giants fan of 36 years, was among the protesters. Freudenberger’s family has been holding season tickets for 30 years now.

“Now my team is tarnished by a decision of some selfish players who thought it was more important for them to express displeasure at another human being’s existence rather than welcome them to the ballpark. … I am tired of watching the Giants lose ballgames, but tonight we deserved it,” Freudenberger stated, per The San Francisco Standard.

After Friday, some speculated whether it had divided the Giants’ clubhouse. In the wake of the incident, a veteran Giants player addressed the issue.

Logan Webb on the clubhouse division

Logan Webb is the longest-tenured player on the current Giants team. The 29-year-old has been with the organization since 2019. Following the Pride Night incident, Webb was asked whether it would cause division inside the clubhouse. Webb denied.

“No, no, no. There are a lot of guys in here who have their personal values and beliefs. It’s a big-league clubhouse. You’ve got guys from different countries, different areas. I grew up in a different place than, say, Landen, than a lot of guys do. I have different feelings. It will not divide the clubhouse at all.”

Webb, a native of Sacramento, is familiar with people from different backgrounds and beliefs. According to him, players cannot be forced to change their personal ideologies.

“They’re grown-ups; they can make their own decisions,” Webb remarked.

The right-hander started the series finale against the Cubs, pitching a dominant 8 innings during their 5-1 victory. He allowed 7 hits but did not give up a run, striking out 7 hitters. He has posted a 3.46 ERA across 12 starts.