The MLB has formally spoken out. During Friday’s ‘Pride Night’ game between the San Francisco Giants pitchers and Chicago Cubs, several Giants pitchers were seen either having written bible verses on their caps, or not wearing the rainbow-colored cap at all. Several players, including starting pitcher Landen Roupp, opted to inscribe a Bible verse on their team cap on Pride NightGettyMajor League Baseball has deemed that a violation of their rules. “The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” MLB’s chief communications officer Pat Courtney told The Athletic.MLB further notified players that this behavior would not be tolerated in the future.In the game on Friday – which the Cubs won 5-1 – starting pitcher Landen Roupp had written the Bible verse “Genesis 9:11-16” next to the rainbow-colored SF logo. That verse reads, in the New International Version of the Bible: “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”Relieving pitchers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker followed suit, while Sam Hentges opted to wear the Giants’ normal cap, stating that he did so because “It’s just something that I feel like I was forced to support when I don’t morally support it.”This particular verse has long been used by Christians as a method of claiming the rainbow for their religion, in direct opposition for the LGBTQ community using it as a symbol, and is something Roupp admitted in his postgame press conference. Roupp was vocal after the game about his actions being done to reflect his religious beliefsGetty“It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that he makes to us that, you know, his faithfulness and his mercy,” Roupp told reporters postgame.“That’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want … and express what we want.”When asked about why he felt it was important to include the inscription of the Bible verse on Friday, having not opted to do so on other occasions in the early phases of his career, the third year pitcher explained:“Kind of what the verse says, you know, the rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant to us, and us as believers to stand firm in that. … There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for and what I stand in. I believe in God, and that’s me.”Team issue statement in the aftermathOne reporter asked Roupp how he would perhaps respond if someone from within the LGBTQ+ community took exception to his actions. “First of all, as a believer, I would push them to read the Bible,” Roupp responded. “I think God has blessed me in so many ways, and I don’t think I would be here right now if it wasn’t for him. The team issued a statement the following dayGetty“So, like I said, there’s no hate in it at all, you know, like I said, we live in a country where you’re welcome to believe what you want. There’s a freedom of speech and stuff like that, so that’s really all I have to say about that. I’m just thankful that God has put me in this situation and that I can go out and share his kingdom.”Roupp pitched 4 2/3 innings in the loss, in which he surrendered four runs, four hits and two walks. He struck out just five. On Saturday, the Giants issued a team statement, via The San Francisco Standard, in regard to the situation, which read: “The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. “Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued. We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations. “We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that. “Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all. We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”Stay up to date on all things MLB across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.