MLB let players stencil "Black Lives Matter" on their jerseys for an entire season.
Now the league is warning Christian pitchers who wrote Bible verses on their caps.
But Blake Treinen revealed this week he got the same warning last year – and the Trump DOJ is now involved.
MLB Warned Treinen for Honoring Charlie Kirk After His Murder
Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen went public this week with something MLB apparently hoped would stay quiet.
After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered in September 2025, Treinen wrote Kirk's name and two crosses on his cap during a game.
The league called.
"I got chastised by the league when I put Charlie [Kirk]'s name on my hat last year, because a man was murdered in cold blood," Treinen told the Los Angeles Times.
No fine. No suspension.
But a warning – the kind that comes with a promise of financial penalties for next time.
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Three San Francisco Giants pitchers – Landen Roupp, J.T. Brubaker, and Ryan Walker – wrote the Bible reference "Gen 9:12-16" on their caps during the club's Pride Night on June 12.
Genesis 9:12-16 describes God's covenant with creation after the flood, with the rainbow as its sign.
MLB warned all three.
"Now these gentlemen who are relievers in San Francisco are getting chastised by the league for putting a Bible verse on their hat," Treinen said. "It's crazy to me."
The league's explanation: the writing violated uniform regulations "regardless of the message."
The Rule That Only Seems to Apply to Christians
Here is what MLB wants you to ignore.
In 2020, the league and the players' union agreed to allow "Black Lives Matter" patches on jersey sleeves for Opening Day.
MLB also allowed "Black Lives Matter" and "United For Change" to be etched directly into pitcher's mounds.
Now it is warning pitchers for writing four words on a hat.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon put it plainly in a June 18 letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred: "This double standard – under which players may not inscribe Bible verses on hats for one game only but may wear 'Black Lives Matter' patches for one game only – calls MLB's true motives into question."
Dhillon referred the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for formal investigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier went further, issuing an investigative subpoena demanding MLB's complete enforcement history since 2020 – every warning issued, every message permitted, every instance where the league looked the other way.
https://twitter.com/FarmGirlCarrie/status/2064823574809252026?s=20
Senator Josh Hawley sent his own letter demanding answers and put something else on the table: MLB's antitrust exemption.
Baseball is the only major professional sports league that enjoys immunity from federal antitrust law.
Hawley told Commissioner Manfred that immunity comes with a responsibility not to "wield its market power to punish Americans for their beliefs."
He threatened to call Manfred before the Senate Judiciary Committee if MLB moves to fine or suspend the Giants players.
This Is Not a Uniform Policy and Christian Players Are Done Pretending It Is
Giants starter Landen Roupp said after the game that Genesis 9 is about "God's covenant and a promise that He makes to us – His faithfulness and His mercy."
He added: "I'm thankful we live in a country where we have the freedom to believe what we want and express what we want."
That freedom does not extend to the baseball diamond – unless the message is one the league already agrees with.
https://twitter.com/js9inningsmedia/status/2063150640650481883?s=20
Clayton Kershaw wrote the same Bible reference on his Dodgers Pride cap in 2025. Treinen opted out of the Pride cap entirely on June 5, wearing the standard team-issued uniform instead.
"My job is to abide by the rules," Treinen said. "Ultimately, the only rule we have is to wear our team-issued uniform. So that's what I chose to do."
MLB is now facing a DOJ referral, a Florida AG subpoena, and a Senate letter threatening their antitrust shield.
The league spent six years telling America it stands for inclusion.
BLM on the pitcher's mound was considered inclusion.
But a Bible verse on a hat is labeled a uniform violation.
Sources:
- Mariane Angela, "Dodgers Pitcher Blake Treinen Says MLB 'Chastised' Him for Honoring Charlie Kirk on His Cap," Breitbart, June 20, 2026.
- Fox News Staff, "DOJ Cracking Down on MLB for Potential Religious Discrimination After Pride Night Caps Controversy," Fox News, June 18, 2026.
- Fox News Staff, "MLB Accused of 'Double Standard' After Calling Out Players' Bible Messages Despite Backing BLM in 2020," Fox News, June 18, 2026.
- Josh Hawley, "Hawley Demands Answers from MLB for Penalizing Christian Players," Senate press release, June 16, 2026.
- Florida AG James Uthmeier, quoted in "MLB Under Investigation for Alleged Religious Discrimination," One America News Network, June 19, 2026.
- Harmeet Dhillon, DOJ Civil Rights Division letter to Rob Manfred, June 18, 2026, reported by Fox News and OutKick.
