Red Sox pitcher shows he’s a true LGBTQ ally by riding on Boston Pride float

Even in a rough year, Hendriks proves he wants to show up for LGBTQ rights. Plus: Mets stars flaunt rainbow brilliance & the most predictable thirst trap yet. The post Red Sox pitcher shows he’s a true LGBTQ ally by riding on Boston Pride float appeared first on Outsports.

Welcome back to Talkin’ Gaysball where a certain All-Star reliever has shown us the best way for an Australian to support the LGBTQ community shy of singing “Padam Padam.”

So far, 2025 has been a rough go for Liam Hendriks.

After rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last year, one of our community’s most vocal MLB supporters has morphed into an example of how hard it is for a player to return from that procedure, posting a 6.59 ERA in just 13-2/3 innings.

Making matters worse, Hendriks was placed on the injured list again on May 28 with right hip inflammation.

Get off the sidelines and into the game

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Hendriks’ comeback season has turned into an example of how JoJo Siwa’s treatise on karma can sometimes apply to even genuinely good people.

Or as the affable Australian himself might put it, “(Twenty minutes of ear-splitting expletives that would cause your work laptop’s firewall to collapse faster than a Rockies ninth inning lead.)”

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Despite how miserably his season has been going, Hendriks has showed that he’s not going to let it get in the way of being a mensch for those who need it — including our community.

Considering what he’s endured thus far, it would be understandable if he retreated from the public eye for a while to rehab his hip and guard his mental health. 

Instead, Hendriks chose to join the Red Sox float in the Boston Pride for the People parade on Saturday.

Hendriks and his wife Kristi celebrate Pride for the People with the Red Sox and Boston’s LGBTQ community.
Credit: Screenshot from Red Sox Instagram story

You don’t need me to tell you how rare it is for an active player to march at Pride. Even if they’d be inclined to show support, they’re in the middle of the grind of a 162-game season and it’d be next to impossible to make the time to do so.

Since Hendriks suddenly had more time on his hands due to unfortunate circumstances, he decided to use it to show Boston’s LGBTQ community that he wants to be a visible ally even when things aren’t going great for him on the field.

Baseball people talk all the time about the ideal relief pitcher being someone who shows up and wants the ball even after a meltdown on the mound. Someone who doesn’t disappear from the media spotlight after a bad performance.

Hendriks just showed that kind of character and did so to support LGBTQ Pride. If there’s such a thing as an ally gamer, he showed us exactly what it looks like.

While he’s had an occasional misstep along the way, Hendriks continues to show up time and again for our community. Which is why when he comes back from this latest injury, we’ll all have his back and will be rooting for him to regain his All Star form.

Mr. Met, Mr. Met, Will You Do the Fandango?

Boston wasn’t the only place to find players supporting our community last week.

One of the nice little moments of every Pride Night is walking into the seating bowl, taking your first look around the field, and seeing LGBTQ colors covering the Jumbotron and LED ribbons all around the ballpark.

Even better is when some of the players themselves are rocking rainbow realness. Which was the case during Mets Pride, when luminaries like Francisco Lindor, Edwin Díaz, and Pete Alonso were warming up during BP in rainbow “New York is Love” gear.

The All-Star first baseman and shortstop even fully committed to the festivities by cutting the sleeves off of their shirts.

Among Mets fans, Alonso is known as The Polar Bear. Which marks the first time in baseball history a player’s nickname would precisely match his Grindr handle.

Then during the game, Alonso got even further into the spirit by changing his walk-up music to “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Even though he’s never won a Gold Glove, Alonso picked the perfect role model for increasing his range factor.

MLB Thirst Trap of the Week

Look, I know I already did this bit last year but when the Dodgers invited Tom Daley to Pride Night on the same evening they were handing out sleeveless jerseys, that’s the very definition of Talkin’Gaysballbaiting.

Let’s just say the giveaway nailed the assignment.

Not only that, the Olympic Champion had the honor of throwing out the first pitch. While he was understandably nervous, his accuracy was one of many things he’ll never have in common with 50 Cent.

If Sandy Koufax was The Left Arm of God, Daley clearly got the rest of that deity’s body.

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The post Red Sox pitcher shows he’s a true LGBTQ ally by riding on Boston Pride float appeared first on Outsports.