Buster Posey, the president of operations for the San Francisco Giants, makes a statement ahead of an MLB game against the Athletics at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Protesters are expected to gather outside Oracle Park to demonstrate against four pitchers who wrote Bible verses on their caps and opted out of wearing the team’s Pride-themed gear during the Giants’ Pride Night celebration on June 12.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Buster Posey finally spoke. After ignoring requests from media for 10 days after the San Francisco Giants alienated a significant portion of their fan base with their Pride Night debacle, Posey took questions on Tuesday.
But only about baseball. Which badly missed the point.
The team’s president of baseball operations and face of the franchise refused to comment on the Pride Night fallout, which was the result of three pitchers adding a Bible verse to their Pride cap and another choosing not to wear the hat for the June 12 game. Posey refused to speak about his own experience as a member of the team that has celebrated and recognized the gay community for the past 32 years.
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He even refused to address MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s criticism of how the Giants handled communication over Pride Night, though the commissioner of the game definitely falls under the subject head of “baseball.”
The only Giants executive to speak after a 10-day firestorm of embarrassing bad publicity only made the controversy worse.
Posey opened with this statement, referencing an earlier team statement — one that many deemed woefully inadequate:
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“I’d like to recognize that the organization has shared its response to Pride Night, and I understand that there’s strong feelings on this topic. There’s differing perspectives and out of respect to everybody involved, it’s not something that I’m going to revisit. I understand that some fans are upset and frustrated, and I can promise you this is something that we’ve talked about a lot internally and will continue to do so. You know, our focus is on the team right now, the upcoming draft, the trade deadline, and trying to win games. So, anybody that has baseball questions, I’m happy to take baseball questions from you.”
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Then he tried to block all Pride-related questions like he blocked the plate back in the day.
“I’ll answer baseball questions,” Posey said over and over to questions he was asked.
He never offered easy words about the Giants valuing all their fans. About hoping the team can move forward. No olive branch was extended in any way.
This was not the Buster Posey we’re used to seeing. Not the calm, mature presence who seemed at ease in any situation ever since he was drafted in 2008. Posey was tense, nervous and looking for rescue from the team’s press liaison.
It was a very inadequate response from a team that has been in the national crosshairs for 10 days. It was a missed opportunity from an organization that used to be extremely concerned about its public image.
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And it surely only made fans who have long appreciated their team’s inclusivity feel worse. Fans have flooded the Giants with emails, expressing their feelings. But they are reporting that they aren’t hearing back from the team that appreciates them when they purchase tickets and merchandise but not when they ask for a response.
Manager Tony Vitello — who has been left on his own to handle the controversy — did a better job than Posey, when he discussed the nature of internal conversations with the team.
“I would hope and expect the vibe out there is how important it is for them to be inclusive of everybody in the fan base or who wants to be part of the fan base,” Vitello said. “Those are the conversations I’ve been privy to. I know Buster spoke with some people today about it.”
Posey certainly didn’t share any such messages of inclusiveness or welcome to all Giants fans when he spoke publicly. He just shut down the whole topic, as though he wants it to go away.
Perhaps the Giants are cowering because of threats from the Department of Justice of an investigation into alleged violations of players’ freedom of religion. But this is a team that has always managed to publicly massage its message even in the face of legal concerns: Remember the Bonds steroid years? The territory battles with the A’s?
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The Giants could have trotted out CEO Larry Baer, a seasoned spinmaster, to paint in broad strokes, and then turn the baseball stuff over to Posey. That didn’t happen.
Instead, Posey sat grimly in the dugout, and refused to acknowledge fans who feel the team has turned their back on them, while rainbow and Transgender Pride flags fluttered on the poles in right centerfield.
A stadium banner advertised Tuesday’s game promotion: Mexican Heritage Night. How would the team respond if players took the occasion to scrawl pro-ICE or Great Replacement Theory messages on their caps? Would they just offer up a “differing perspectives” soundbite?
The top “baseball” topic Posey addressed was Rafael Devers showing up Vitello in Miami on Sunday and then ditching the media afterwards.
Posey, unironically, said: “I do think (Devers) understands that there’s got to be some accountability, and you know, sometimes it’s not fun to stand in front of a microphone or a camera, but you know that’s something that he’s going to need to work on.”
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A few minutes later in the clubhouse, Devers showed some accountability. He owned up to his mistake and apologized.
The Giants have yet to show as much accountability.