“You’re out!” Toronto Blue Jays oust anti-LGBTQ+ pitcher Anthony Bass hours before Pride Night

It’s been 10 days since Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass shared a post on social media multiple times that cited Biblical verses as a reason to boycott Bud Light and Target for their support of LGBTQ+ initiatives.

On Thursday, the journeyman right-hander finally took questions on the matter, and spouted one vapid statement after another. The Blue Jays were also planning to have Bass catch the ceremonial first pitch to kick off their Pride Night festivities Friday.

The insulting gesture prompted waves of deserved backlash. And now, it won’t happen. Because the Blue Jays released Bass Friday afternoon, hours before game time.

What a debacle!

It was a brutal 24 hours for Bass, who didn’t indicate Thursday that his feelings towards LGBTQ+ people have changed. In fact, he explicitly only expressed regret for broadcasting his anti-LGBTQ+ views on Instagram.

“The video itself, obviously, I took it down,” he said, via The Athletic. “I just felt like it was too much of a distraction, right? But I stand by my personal beliefs and everyone’s entitled to their personal beliefs, right? But also I mean no harm toward any groups of people. And I felt like taking that down the second time was the right thing to do and not being a distraction. As a team, our job is to win baseball games. And that’s my focus.”

When Bass first addressed his post last week, he vowed to use the Blue Jays’ “resources” to better educate himself on the issue. He said Thursday he spoke to the head of Toronto Pride; but again, made sure to say he still holds his “personal beliefs.”

“It definitely shed light on the Pride community for me,” he said. “I have my personal beliefs, but I understand that everyone’s free to feel and think the way they want and in being accepting, welcoming and making people feel comfortable to make a decision in their lives. To be more accepting of it definitely was something I self-reflected on and realized that I need to be better at.”

It’s also worth noting that Bass repeatedly referred to the LGBTQ+ community as the “Pride Community,” a phrase that nobody uses. Did all of his supposed education not include learning what we’re actually called?

Or can he not bring himself to say “gay” or “LGBTQ+”?

It’s been a mixed Pride season for MLB.

Last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers faced backlash from performative right-wingers for their decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at their Pride Night. The team capitulated to the outrage and disinvited the Sisters, only to re-invite them days later.

Multiple players, including star Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, have spoken out against the Sisters. But this week, star Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle expressed his support for the charitable group, highlighting their service during the AIDS crisis.

Along those lines, Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez tweeted their support for the LGBTQ+ community at the start of Pride Month.

Speaking of the Nationals, they hosted a successful Pride Night this week, featuring Drag Race star Lady Camden.

On the negative side, the Boston Red Sox called up a homophobic hurler days before their Pride Night, which is slated for June 13. The pitcher in question, Matt Dermody, tweeted in 2021 that gay people are going to hell.

When questioned about his offensive tweet, Dermody, who was released after a horrible spot start Thursday, said the “last thing” he wants to do is “hurt people.”

Apparently, he didn’t think that proclaiming an entire group of people are bound for eternal damnation was hurtful in any way.

Bass said something similar Thursday in his session with reporters. “I have no ill intentions of ever being hateful or harmful towards any group. I care for all people and I stand by that,” he said.

Yet, he thinks businesses should face boycotts for partnering with LGBTQ+ celebrities and selling Pride merchandise.

Talk about a contradiction. It’s apparent that Bass isn’t sorry for his views, but sorry that he got caught.

And somehow, the Blue Jays thought it was a good idea for him to catch the ceremonial first pitch of Pride night?

Bass was booed out of the ballpark when he entered a game last week. On Friday, the reaction probably would’ve been even worse.

What I don’t get is why the Blue Jays are working *this* hard for … Anthony Bass, completely replacement-level reliever— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) June 8, 2023

The Blue Jays finally got it right Friday afternoon, almost certainly thanks to their fans’ sustained outrage. Nobody is going to miss Bass and his mediocre 4.68 ERA.

Scroll down for more response to Bass’ well-deserved release…

Congratulations to Anthony Bass on undergoing a roster reassignment procedure— Richard Staff (@RichardStaff) June 9, 2023