Friday marked the first day in American history that it became legal in all 50 states to marry someone of the same sex, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage nationwide. On top of this major victory for the LGBT community, history was also made Thursday night in the world of professional baseball. Sean Conroy, a pitcher for the minor-league Sonoma Stompers, became the first openly gay player to ever start in a professional baseball game.
The scene couldn’t be more fitting. It happened to be Pride Night at the Stompers’ stadium in Northern California. It was also the first night in his professional baseball career that Conroy got to start since joining the team in May. And it was a memorable one at that. The 23-year-old pitched a shutout, allowing only three hits while striking out 11 players, and led his team to a 7-0 win over the Vallejo Admirals.
Conroy had previously come out to his team before deciding to come out in public. “I’ve always played baseball because it was fun and I loved the sport,” Conroy said in a team statement. “Being gay doesn’t change anything about the way I play or interact with teammates. I hope that in leading by example, more LGBT youth will feel confident to pursue their dreams, whatever those dreams may be.”
