Major League Baseball issued a statement on Tuesday trying to downplay its clear targeting of Christian players on the San Francisco Giants who rejected a recent LGBT “Pride Night” game. After the MLB boasted to The Athletic, a subsidiary of the New York Times, that a handful of Christian players have been “warned” about writing Bible verses on their baseball caps, the league issued a follow-up statement on Tuesday. “To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” the MLB said, according to sports broadcaster Blake Niemann. “We respect players’ right to free expression. However, writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s Uniform Regulations.” The statement seemed to come in response to mounting backlash the league was receiving for singling out the handful of players who counter-signaled or rejected the LGBT rainbow-themed baseball caps for a “Pride Night” event. As highlighted by The Daily Wire, Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp etched a Bible passage found in Genesis on the cap. Other players, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker, followed suit, standing up for their Christian faith and also adding Bible verses. Relief pitcher Sam Hentges refused to wear the rainbow cap altogether, stating, “I don’t morally support it.” “The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice we have warned the players about future violations,” the MLB said on Monday. The Giants also issued a statement that championed “inclusion” and apologized for the team’s Christian players apparently hurting the LGBT community: “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,” the team said. MLB fans and political commentators don’t seem to be buying the league’s latest spin. Conservative author Mollie Hemingway commented, “Of all the professional sports leagues to go out of their way to hate Christians and conservatives, [MLB] is most disappointing. There’s not a single left-wing political-religious scam they haven’t embraced. And any resistance to their extremism is met with hostility.” Of all the professional sports leagues to go out of their way to hate Christians and conservatives, @MLB is most disappointing. There’s not a single left-wing political-religious scam they haven’t embraced. And any resistance to their extremism is met with hostility. — Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 16, 2026 Notably, the MLB faced backlash in 2023 after the Los Angeles Dodgers honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — a drag group that mocks Catholicism — during the team’s “Pride Night.” It was also uncovered earlier this year that a Washington Nationals executive said the team avoided featuring pitcher Trevor Williams on social media because of his outspoken Catholic faith. The MLB also went all-in on the Black Lives Matter movement, allowing BLM patches and messages on uniforms, displaying BLM-themed logos on fields, and promoting player-led campaigns against racism. In 2021, the league even moved its All-Star Game from Atlanta over a voter ID law the league apparently viewed as racist. Related: MLB Targets Christian Players Who Rejected LGBT ‘Pride Night’