PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 18: A Toronto Blue Jays New Era baseball hat is seen in action against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 18, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays have featured plenty of outspoken stars over the years, from Hall of Fame-caliber pitchers to franchise icons willing to share strong opinions on issues beyond the field. That tradition continued this week when former Blue Jays ace Roger Clemens weighed in on one of baseball’s most-discussed controversies.
The debate stems from the San Francisco Giants’ Pride Night event earlier this month, which generated national attention after several pitchers modified or declined to wear the club’s special-edition Pride-themed caps. The situation has since sparked conversations about personal expression, religious beliefs and uniform policies across Major League Baseball.
Now, Clemens has become one of the most prominent former players to publicly defend the Giants pitchers involved.
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Clemens is more typically associated with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, where he spent a combined 19 seasons of his career. But he also pitched for the Blue Jays in the 1997 and 1998 seasons, earning two of his seven career Cy Young Awards.
And now, Clemens has opted to weigh in on the Giants Pride Night controversy, arguing that players should have more input when it comes to uniform-related initiatives.
“I think if you took a vote amongst the players if they were wanting to wear this or that, it would have been a different outcome of what would have been said,” Clemens said, according to Thomas Murray of the New York Post. “(Players) alter our uniforms all the time with numbers or somebody that’s passed away.”
Indeed, players throughout recent Major League Baseball history have seemed to skirt the rules about altering their hats and uniforms, as notable tributes have been written in favor of Bible verses, deceased loved ones and more over the years without as much fanfare.
“Clemens is correct; modified uniforms have always existed in baseball,” Murray added. “The (Los Angeles) Angels’ uniform this season features a patch that says ‘GA’ honoring Garret Anderson, who passed away in April. During last year’s World Series, (Los Angeles) Dodgers and Blue Jays players wore modified hats that featured the number ‘51’ in honor of Alex Vesia, who was away from the Dodgers in what was later revealed as a sudden loss of his newborn daughter.”
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But Clemens’ comments came after the Giants players were formally warned by MLB regarding a longstanding policy against such alterations.
After a handful of Giants players opted to add Bible verses to their Pride Night hats, plenty of former players and local leaders in other sectors have weighed in.
“During the Giants’ 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on June 12, starting pitcher Landen Roupp and relief pitchers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker decided to alter the team’s special edition Pride hat, inscribing Bible verses,” Florito Maniego of NBC Sports noted after the controversy. “Meanwhile, reliever Sam Hentges chose to wear a generic, black and orange Giants hat.”
Clemens’ comments have now added to the ongoing discourse following that decision. The former Blue Jays star pointed to examples of modified uniforms that have been accepted throughout baseball history, attempting to highlight that the latest Pride Night protest has been unfairly singled out.
But for those who argue that the Giants players were attempting to nullify an important act of inclusion, the words of the former Blue Jays star won’t carry much weight.