The York Revolution Minor League Baseball team forfeited its game on Thursday after players refused to wear the team’s Pride Night jerseys.
The Revolution scheduled their 11th annual Pride Night for their Thursday night game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, but the players declined to wear special rainbow-sleeved jerseys. Therefore, the team chose to forfeit the game
Ben Shipley, the York Revolution president and general manager, stated that his manager informed him on Tuesday that less than nine players on the 28-man roster were willing to play in the uniforms on Thursday night. Last year, seven members of the Revolution refused to wear the uniforms on Pride Night.
The York Revolution explained the decision to forfeit in a statement
“This decision was not reached lightly,” the team wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, several of our players have refused to wear the scheduled Pride Night jersey and the club decided that hosting the event is more important than forcing players to wear jerseys they are not comfortable with and playing the game.
“As a result, and out of respect for the Pride Community and the York community as a whole, the York Revolution has decided that the game on Thursday, June 18 will be forfeited and that Pride Night will continue on as the feature element of the evening at WellSpan Park.”
“We feel that this is the best way to stay consistent with our long-standing partnerships with the Rainbow Rose Center, JLS Automation and the long list of allies that have always been key partners of the York Revolution’s success in York, Pennsylvania,” the statement continued.
The team did not agree with the players’ decision to not wear the uniforms
“To be clear; this action by the players is completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York,” the team added. “As a small token of our regret for the last-minute change of plans and support for our LGBTQIA+ representing partners we are making a $10,000 donation to the Rainbow Rose Center to support and further their work in making sure the York community is as inclusive as we strive to make WellSpan Park in York, Pennsylvania.”
Instead of holding the game, the York Revolution hosted a free admission event. Also, the team announced that fans can redeem all tickets for Thursday’s game for any remaining 2026 regular season home game.
The York Revolution’s issue comes during the same week in which Major League Baseball issued a warning to players not to write on their caps after multiple San Francisco Giants pitchers wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night hats, drawing the attention of everyone from Missouri Senator Josh Hawley to MLB great Roger Clemens.