The late Billy Bean is honored at the Rays’ Pride Night June 20. (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)
TAMPA | The Tampa Bay Rays held their annual Pride Night June 20, winning 14-8 against the Detroit Tigers and honoring late Major League Baseball trailblazer Billy Bean.
This year marked the team’s 19th Pride celebration and began after a short rain delay. It was held at George M. Steinbrenner Field after Hurricane Milton damaged St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field last year.
Fans were able to purchase special Pride packages ahead of time, a sold-out offer that included a 2025 Pride hat. The Rays also featured Pride-focused activations throughout the stadium and recognized both St Pete Pride and Tampa Pride on their jumbotrons.
The evening’s ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Greg Baker, Bean’s husband. The MLB legend — a former outfielder who played for the Detroit Tigers and other teams before becoming the second professional player to come out in 1999 — served as the MLB’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion for 10 years until his death in 2024.
“In his role, Bean worked with MLB teams to advance equality throughout baseball to ensure an equitable, inclusive and supportive space for everyone,” the Tampa Bay Rays have noted. “He was instrumental in the development of MLB’s bullying prevention education programming and the game’s support of Spirit Day, MLB’s ‘Ahead in the Count’ education program and elevating the visibility of MLB’s mental wellness resources.”
The Rays established the Billy Bean Scholarship in partnership with the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Education Foundations to honor the advocate’s work. Bean regularly collaborated with the team and told Watermark Out News in 2016 that his role had “been really embraced by baseball.”
The first Billy Bean Scholarship recipients were recognized during this year’s Pride game. Two high schoolers, one from Pinellas County and the other from Hillsborough County, were awarded $5,000 each.
The students were required to have an average GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate “outstanding leadership in fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within their school and/or home communities.” They also had to be LGBTQ+ or “be strong allies and advocates” of the community.
“Billy was a tremendous leader and someone we’ve worked closely with since he started with Major League Baseball in 2014,” says Tampa Bay Rays Vice President of Social Impact Stephen Thomas.
“He strived to create a space where everyone could be their authentic self and we’re very proud to honor his life and legacy with the creation of the Billy Bean scholarship,” he continues. “Billy believed that Baseball is for everyone and we couldn’t agree more.”
Following this year’s game, the Tampa Bay Rays noted participants “Glowed with Pride tonight.”
Tampa Pride also thanked the team for “an amazing Pride Night 2025.”
For more information about the Billy Bean Scholarship, visit RaysBaseball.com/BillyBean. View Watermark Out News’ Pride Night photos by Ryan Williams-Jent below.
You must be logged in to post a comment.