<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Santiago Mejia\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Buster Posey<\/a> finally spoke. After ignoring requests from media for 10 days after the San Francisco Giants<\/a> alienated a significant portion of their fan base with their Pride Night debacle, Posey took questions on Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n But only about baseball. Which badly missed the point.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He even refused to address MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred\u2019s criticism of how the Giants handled communication over Pride Night, though the commissioner of the game definitely falls under the subject head of \u201cbaseball.\u201d<\/p>\n The only Giants executive to speak after a 10-day firestorm of embarrassing bad publicity only made the controversy worse.<\/p>\n Posey opened with this statement, referencing an earlier team statement\u00a0\u2014 one that many deemed woefully inadequate:<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to recognize that the organization has shared its response to Pride Night, and I understand that there\u2019s strong feelings on this topic. There\u2019s differing perspectives and out of respect to everybody involved, it\u2019s not something that I\u2019m going to revisit. I understand that some fans are upset and frustrated, and I can promise you this is something that we\u2019ve 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\u2019m happy to take baseball questions from you.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Then he tried to block all Pride-related questions like he blocked the plate back in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll answer baseball questions,\u201d Posey said over and over to questions he was asked.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n This was not the Buster Posey we\u2019re 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\u2019s press liaison.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And it surely only made fans who have long appreciated their team\u2019s inclusivity feel worse. Fans have flooded the Giants with emails, expressing their feelings. But they are reporting that they aren\u2019t hearing back from the team that appreciates them when they purchase tickets and merchandise but not when they ask for a response.<\/p>\n<\/a>
<\/a><\/p>\n