Who is Solomon Bates, the Minor League Baseball pitcher who has come out as gay?
Minor League Baseball pitcher Solomon Bates has revealed his sexual orientation through social networks,. He said he came out to his teammates in 2019.
Solomon Bates, Minor League Baseball pitcher, announced his sexual orientation through social networks. On his Twitter account, the 25-year-old pitcher declared himself openly homosexual.
“Being gay in sports, you don’t know what to expect”, he wrote. “I thank the Giants for the opportunity to be myself, go out and play the game that I love.”
The baseball player, who was playing for the Giants, added that San Francisco has released him and pointed out that he decided to talk about his preferences to give greater opportunities to athletes of the LGBT+ community.
“I’m still in shock on what just happened.,” he said. “But I’m not giving up on what I want to do... Still will strive to be one of the greatest to do it.”
Bates wants to lead the way for other gay athletes
Bates spoke to Outsports and acknowledged that he had some tough times when he was not open about his orientation. The USC graduate told his teammates of his preferences in 2019.
“I haven’t been completely myself because I’ve been hiding myself,” he said. “I am a masculine man who loves baseball and now I want to open the doors for gay athletes like me.”
Bates is the second minor leaguer to come out as openly gay. David Denson did it in 2015.
Bates’ numbers
Bates was selected in the eighth round of the 2018 Draft, and played for the Giants during his entire stay in the Minor League. In four years (he did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Bates reached the AA level. In all, he had 93 appearances, three starts, a 17-6 mark, a 4.30 ERA and 219 strikeouts.
He was on the mound in 23 games at Double A this season, recording a 4.02 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings.
Despite his release, he remains positive about his future in the sport. He expressed confidence that he will join another team in the near future.