San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wrote a bible verse next to his team’s rainbow logo on his cap during Friday’s game against Chicago Cubs before urging the gay community to read the Bible.
His teammate and fellow pitcher JT Brubaker also referenced Bible verses on his pride hat, while Sam Hentges didn’t wear a rainbow hat at all when he left the bullpen.
Roupp, 27, wrote ‘Genesis 9:12-16’ in silver pen on his black cap next to the rainbow logo, a verse where God creates a rainbow to signal his ‘everlasting covenant’ with Noah, all living creatures, and the earth and vowing never to create a great flood again.
Explaining his gesture and the Bible passage after the game, Roupp said: ‘It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that he makes to us that, you know, his faithfulness and his mercy.
‘That’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want … and express what we want.’
Roupp, from North Carolina and playing in his third MLB season, insisted that his move was not made from a place of ‘hate’.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wrote a Bible verse on his cap on pride night
The caps changed Giants logo from white to the rainbow colors to honor the gay community
After the game, Roupp said he’d push anyone who was offended to read the Bible
He said: ‘Kind of what the verse says, you know, the rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant to us, and us as believers to stand firm in that. … There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for and what I stand in. I believe in God, and that’s me.’
When asked how he would feel if anyone from the gay community was offended by his gesture, he returned to his faith.
‘First of all, as a believer, I would push them to read the Bible,’ he said. ‘I think God has blessed me in so many ways, and I don’t think I would be here right now if it wasn’t for him.
‘So, like I said, there’s no hate in it at all, you know, like I said, we live in a country where you’re welcome to believe what you want. There’s a freedom of speech and stuff like that, so that’s really all I have to say about that.
‘I’m just thankful that God has put me in this situation and that I can go out and share his kingdom.’
His manager, Tony Vitello, didn’t have too much to add on Roupp or Hentges.
‘Just kind of a general knowledge of the individuals that have the freedom to do what they think is best,’ he said, asked about the gesture after his team lost.
‘I do think it has been apparent from day one and it is pretty impressive how the Giants have tried to embrace the entire community.’
LA Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen didn’t wear a rainbow hat for the team’s pride night game
Major League Baseball celebrates pride month every June but subtle protests across teams are not unheard of.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen wore a regular cap without the rainbow logo during pride night at the World Series winners earlier in June.
Last season, his Dodgers teammate Clayton Kershaw referenced the same Bible verse as Roupp did on the team’s pride night.
