Blue Jays pitcher who amplified anti-LGBTQ+ post to catch first pitch on Pride Weekend
Toronto Blue Jays reliever Anthony Bass says he doesn't believe a social media post he shared last week calling for anti-LGBTQ+ boycotts of Target and Bud Light wasn't hateful -- even though it called the sale of LGBTQ+ merchandise "evil" and "demonic."
“I do not,” Bass told reporters Thursday. “That’s why I posted it originally. When I look back at it, I can see how people would view it that way.”
Bass, who has since apologized for sharing the post on his Instagram account, said he is "working hard" to educate himself about LGBTQ+ issues.
The right-hander is scheduled to catch the ceremonial first pitch from Toronto LGBTQ+ activist leZlie Lee Kam before Friday’s game as part of the Blue Jays' Pride Weekend activities.
In his two appearances at home since the apology, Bass has been loudly booed by the Toronto fans.
“I totally get that,” Bass said. “I just want them to know that I’m working hard on myself, a lot of self-reflection.”
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Bass said he chose to delete the post because "it was the right thing to do," and because he didn’t want it to be a distraction to the team.
“But I stand by my personal beliefs,” Bass said, “and everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs, right? Also, I mean no harm towards any groups of people."
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said he was "personally hurt" by the post, but he accepted the apology the pitcher offered to him and manager John Schneider last month.
"I felt his apology and his accountability to be authentic or we would be talking about a different outcome, quite frankly,″ Atkins said. "That was absolutely necessary for us to be together with how strongly we feel about the progress that has been made by the Toronto Blue Jays in this community.
Red Sox release pitcher who posted homophobic tweet
The Blue Jays aren't the only MLB team to have a pitcher's social media posts stir up controversy as Pride Month begins.
The Boston Red Sox are designating right-handed pitcher Matt Dermody for assignment, one day after calling him up from the minors to start Thursday's game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Dermody posted a homophobic tweet in 2021 that has since been deleted, but screenshots have continued to circulate. The Red Sox said they were unaware of the tweet when they signed the 32-year-old Dermody as a free agent in January. But once they learned of it, team officials met with Dermody, who went through mandatory anti-discrimination and harassment training in March.
After allowing three runs in four innings and taking the loss against the Guardians, Dermody addressed the issue with reporters.
"I do regret the tweet in the sense that it came out hurtful and it hurt a lot of people," he said. "That’s the last thing I want to do is hurt people. A lot of people think that I’m against a certain group of people or whatnot. But I’m for everybody making it to heaven."
The Red Sox will make his release official on Friday, when outfielder Adam Duvall is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list.
Contributing: The Associated Press