Openly gay pitcher makes pro debut

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Associated Press

SONOMA, CALIF.

Baseball history was made in Northern California wine country Thursday night when the sport’s first openly gay active professional started the game as a pitcher.

Sean Conroy, 23, took the mound for the Sonoma Stompers, a 22-man team that is part of the independent Pacific Association of Baseball Clubs.

The atmosphere at the ballpark was low-key, with no obvious signs it was a historic night or even a gay-pride-themed game except for the rainbow-striped socks and arm warmers some players — but not Conroy — wore.

When starting Lineup was announced, Conroy got the loudest cheer. He walked his first batter and struck out his second.

The Stompers recruited the upstate New York native out of college in May. General Manager Theo Fightmaster says Conroy privately shared his sexual orientation with teammates and management before agreeing to come out publicly in time for the team’s home field gay pride night.

“The first conversation I had with Sean was, ‘I want you to know this organization supports you, we respect who you are,” Fightmaster said.

“His goal has always been to be the first openly gay baseball player, so he was very much in favor of telling the story, of carrying that torch,” Fightmaster said.

Nancy Dito, 67, attended the game with 25 friends from a local group for LGBT seniors and was picked to throw out a first pitch. Dito played varsity sports in high school and was a 1972 Olympic hopeful in women’s basketball, but the sport did not end up being part of the Games that year.

“It’s great they cheered for him,” Dito said of the warm reception for Conroy. “I think it’s courageous and wonderful he’s doing this.”

Major League Baseball historian John Thorn confirmed that Conroy is the first active professional to come out as gay. Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the A’s and Dodgers, and Billy Bean, a utility player with the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres, came out after they retired.

“Of course that over the years there have been rumors of this Major League player or that one being gay, but that’s just idle chatter and counts for nothing,” Thorn said. “In terms of an openly gay player as (the) pitcher in your neck of the woods, we haven’t had one yet.”

Conroy, a right-hander who has earned four saves and allowed only two hits in the seven innings he has pitched so far as a closer for the 15-3 Stompers, said he had been open with his high school, summer league and college teams and told his family he was gay at age 16. It would have been strange not to do the same once he moved across the country and started making friends on the team in Sonoma, he said.

“People would talk about their girlfriends and who they were going out to see that night. Instead of getting the different looks or questions when I didn’t join them, I’d rather tell you the truth and let you know who I am and have real conversations instead of the fake ones,” Conroy said.