MLB teams welcome LGBTQ+ fans with Pride Nights but not one has seen an active player come out

By JAY COHEN
AP Baseball Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — All but one big league team will celebrate Pride Night this season, yet the sport remains hampered by ongoing issues around LGBTQ+ inclusivity. While Seattle slugger Julio Rodríguez was among a group of players who expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community, the Dodgers were criticized for including the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the team’s upcoming Pride Night on Friday. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said his objection was based on the Sisters’ portrayal of religious figures and had nothing to do with LGBTQ+ rights. Almost 80 years after Jackie Robinson broke the majors’ color barrier, the dueling expressions of LGBTQ+ support and pop-up opposition recalled the question of when the big leagues might welcome their first active openly gay player.