Clayton Kershaw makes bold statement for God at Dodgers’ Pride Night 

One of Major League Baseball’s top pitchers took a bold stance for his faith during his team’s Pride Night celebration over the weekend, adding a Bible verse to his rainbow-themed hat issued to players. 

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers drew nationwide attention Friday by wearing the hat, which included the standard rainbow-colored interlocking “LA” logo but also a handwritten Bible verse, “Gen. 9:12–16,” to the side.  

The Bible passage records God’s words to Noah about the rainbow and reads, in part, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

The left-hander wasn’t scheduled to pitch that night and did not play – he threw the next day in a victory – but his gesture still drew attention from fans, many of whom found his social media page and commented on an unrelated, 11-week-old post. 

“You got yourself a new fan!!” one wrote on his Instagram page. 

“Thank you for having the courage to stick to your values and stand up for your beliefs,” another wrote. 

As part of LGBTQ+ Pride Night, the Dodgers offered fans a pre-game concert, a fan-participation “Vogue Off” and special rainbow-themed Pride jerseys. Kershaw’s hat, though, quietly stood out. 

He is a 10-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and three-time Cy Young winner who is widely considered a future lock for the Hall of Fame. 

He’s also one of baseball’s most outspoken Christians who has not shied away from expressing his faith – even while living and playing in one of the nation’s most liberal states. 

It’s not the first time he’s spoken out about Pride Night. In 2023, the Dodgers sparked controversy by involving the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, so-called “drag queen nuns,” in Pride Night. The Dodgers even gave the group a Community Hero Award.  

“I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions,” Kershaw told the Los Angeles Times that year, disagreeing with the LGBT group’s invitation. “It has nothing to do with anything other than that. I just don’t think that, no matter what religion you are, you should make fun of somebody else’s religion. So that’s something that I definitely don’t agree with.” 

The Dodgers subsequently held a Christian Faith and Family Day later that season to support not only Kershaw but the team’s other players of faith. 

“For us, we felt like the best thing to do in response was … try to show what we do support, as opposed to maybe what we don’t,” he told the Times, referencing the faith day. “And that was Jesus. So to make Christian Faith Day our response is what we felt like was the best decision.” 

Kershaw spoke at the 2023 Christian Faith day – an event he’s long supported. At the 2024 Faith day, he read from Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus lists the two greatest commandments.  

“That’s the greatest thing about Jesus, guys, it’s that simple: it’s love God, love others,” he told Dodgers fans during a 2024 pregame event. “That’s all He calls us to do. And so for me, when things are getting challenging, if things are hard – baseball, family, whatever it may be – I try to remember that verse. Love God, love others, and it steers me back towards Him.”