MLB threatens to punish Giants players for putting Bible verses on pride night hats

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Major League Baseball has warned players not to write on their baseball caps after San Francisco Giants players wrote Bible verses on the custom hats they wore during the team’s LGBT pride night.

“The writing on the cap violates our rules and consistent with normal practice we have warned the players about future violations," MLB Chief Communications Officer Pat Courtney said in a statement provided to Outsports on Monday.

Courtney’s statement comes three days after three Giants players, including starting pittcher Landen Roupp, included a reference to Genesis 9:12-16 on their pride night cap, which featured the team’s logo emblazoned with the rainbow colors that have come to symbolize LGBT advocacy. 

Genesis 9:12-16 states: “And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.’” 

Another Giants player, JT Brubaker, included a reference to a shorter version of the relevant passage, Genesis 9:13-15, on his cap. In response to reports that MLB has threatened players with consequences for including Bible verses on their caps in the future, actor and comedian Rob Schneider offered to pay any fines they incur. 

“I will pay the fines for any @MLB Christian player who wears a Bible verse on their uniform,” Schneider wrote in an X post Monday. “@MLB is ANTI-CHRISTIAN.” 

According to the Basic Agreement signed by all MLB players, “No alterations, writing or illustrations, other than as authorized herein, are to be made to any part of the uniform.” The regulations also state that “A Player may not write, attach, affix, embroider or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel.”

The Basic Agreement lays out penalties for violating MLB rules on uniforms, which involve a warning for the first offense and fines of $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 for subsequent offenses. Players can also face exclusion from championship games, including postseason games and spring training, after the fourth violation. 

Roupp stressed during a postgame interview over the weekend that his promotion of the Bible verse on the baseball cap meant “no hate at all,” adding that the Scripture passage simply reflects “what I stand for and what I stand in.” He also expressed gratitude that “we live in a country where … we have the freedom to believe what we want.”

Giants Manager Tony Vitello offered a similar analysis during a postgame press conference following the Giants’ pride night game against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. When asked if he thought it was “OK” for his players to include Bible verses on their pride night caps, Vitello responded: “The individuals have the freedom to do what they ... think is best.”

The team released a statement Saturday, insisting that “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.” While acknowledging that “individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations,” the team apologized because “the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community.” 

“Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all,” the Giants concluded. “We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”