Welcome back to Talkin’ Gaysball where the breastplate of righteousness is our favorite Sasha Velour runway.
Every year, the trade deadline is a time for fans of contending teams to dream that a Jazz Chisholm or a Randy Arozarena might be the piece that puts them over the top.
For LGBTQ fans of the Phillies and Padres, though, it was a reminder that sometimes their favorite teams are willing to sacrifice their connection to our community in order to win a couple of more games.
In the run-up to the deadline, both the Phils and the Friars acquired talented players who are known for notorious moments of homophobia.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
The Phillies brought in outfielder Austin Hays only a few days after the internet discovered that he commemorated Orioles Pride Night with an Instagram post quoting Bible verses referring to “the day of evil” and instructing, “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Apparently Hays’ shield of faith is made out of passive aggressiveness. In the biggest upset of the month, the O’s drew 29,479 LGBTQ fans and allies for Pride Night but the biggest drama queen in all of Camden Yards was sitting in the home dugout.
Meanwhile, the Padres traded for pitcher Jason Adam who made headlines in 2022 as the spokesman for a group of Rays relievers who tore rainbow patches off their jerseys and refused to wear rainbow caps during Tampa Bay’s Pride Night.
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While most fans and media looked at these acquisitions in terms of wRC+, home runs, saves and ERA, these moves hit different if you were an LGBTQ fan in Philadelphia or San Diego.
It’s hard to get over watching the team that has your heart willingly bring in a player who considers you “evil” for who you are.
And for every at bat Hays takes in red pinstripes or every inning Adam pitches in brown and gold, you find yourself asking, “So I don’t matter at all?”
Jason Adam pitches in a crucial late inning situation for the Padres. Credit: David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a deeply empty feeling. I’m familiar with it myself from when the Cubs traded for Daniel “I disagree with his lifestyle” Murphy at the deadline in 2018.
During every Murphy at bat, I found myself emotionally disconnected from a team that I reflexively supported with my whole heart. Every cheer at Wrigley Field felt like a reaffirmation that Murphy’s disgust at who I was mattered less than whether he could hit a slider.
Four or five times a game, there was one spot in the Cubs batting order that made me ask, “Do I even belong here anymore?”
It’s was a terrible thing to ponder when I was watching my favorite sport at my favorite place in the world. And it’s horrible that LGBTQ Padres and Phillies fans have to endure similar feelings of self doubt this year.
Especially because those two teams have been a joy for LGBTQ fans to support until this point.
Is Hays going to “put on the full armor of God” every day he walks into the Phillies clubhouse now that he’s joined MLB’s sluttiest team?
How does Adam feel knowing he’ll be taking the field in Padres City Connect uniforms whose primary colors are pink and aqua?
These are insane questions, of course. Almost as insane as going full Book of Revelation on Insta because there’s a rainbow logo on the field or shredding part of your uniform because it supports welcoming our community.
Or as insane as telling LGBTQ fans that their humanity is negotiable when it comes to a pennant race.
While Hays was using social media to answer the question “What if a homophobe had 0.3 Wins Above Replacement more than Anita Bryant,” there was another MLB player who was uplifting our community online at the same time.
Relief pitcher Casey Sadler has been battling injuries for several years but still hopes to come back in 2025. Last week, he decided to weigh in on the Olympics Opening Ceremony “controversy” and his take was brilliant.
Then when Twitter trolls came after him, Sadler doubled down in his family’s support of the drag community.
As I’ve noted before, we stan a king who stans a queen. Baseball needs more players comfortable with displaying this All Star level of empathy.
Also: if Sadler blows a save next year, he should totally blame it on the edit.
Phillies and Padres fans need a reminder of why they should keep supporting their favorite teams so they each get a TTOTW!
Hey Philadelphia, you still get to cheer for Nick Castellanos!
The Big Nick Energy is off the charts. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
(Yes, I know it’s more accurate to type “occasionally not boo…” Do you, Philly.)
Hey San Diego, you still get to feast your eyes on Jackson Merrill!
Even Merrill’s eye black appears to be saying, “Hey, look at my chest!” Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Based on that photo, it looks like Jason Adam thought the Padres put a rainbow SD on Merrill’s top button. I think we’re all on board with this particular jersey alteration.
