Good For You, Sean Conroy!

Sonoma Stompers pitcher Sean Conroy stretches during practice Tuesday at Arnold Field in Sonoma. Conroy, 23, of Clifton Park, N.Y., is the first openly gay player to enter the professional baseball ranks, according to the Stompers.

Christopher Chung//AP via The Press Democrat

Originally Published: Baseball Essential

oshua Sadlock, Reporter

About as far away from the glittering ballparks of the Major Leagues as you can get, the Sonoma Stompers are playing host to baseball history this season. The Stompers, who play in the independent Pacific Association of Baseball Clubs, play their home games at Arnold Field in Sonoma, California. In the heart of wine country, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, a city that’s celebrating history of another kind today, the Stompers are playing this season with baseball’s first openly gay professional player.

Sean Conroy, who is 23 and in his first season with the Stompers, publicly came out ahead of his first start, a 7-0 shutout win on Pride Night. Conroy, who made teammates and management aware of his sexual orientation prior to the start of the season, has already recorded four saves for the Stompers on the season. His start marked the first time an openly gay player took the field at any level of professional baseball.

While Conroy’s teammates sported rainbow socks and armbands, Conroy did not. He preferred to let his pitching do the talking, and with 11 strikeouts over nine innings, talk it did. Conroy has been open about his sexuality since the age of 16, and did not view his public acknowledgement of it as something to be fussed over. “It’s not that I wanted it to go public, but I didn’t care if it was open information. It’s who I am,” he said. “I am definitely surprised that no one else has been openly gay in baseball yet.”

There has not yet been an openly gay player at the Major League level, although both Glenn Burke and Bill Bean have come out post-career. Baseball historian John Thorn confirmed, “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, we haven’t had one yet.”

Unlike other professional athletes who have come out, Jason Collins and Michael Sam come to mind, Conroy does not appear concerned about being a pioneer. That should not overshadow the fact that he is doing something very courageous and praiseworthy. He just wants to be himself and move on with the season. I do think it’s quite telling that he chose not to wear rainbow socks or armbands. Perhaps that has something to do with the relative obscurity in which he plays. By the end of the year, most of us will have forgotten that Conroy exists, and unlike Collins and Sam, book deals, analyst gigs, and Dancing With The Stars appearances do not appear likely to follow. If he sniffs a Major League roster, it will be a miracle.

Our country is progressing in the right direction in terms of acceptance and compassion towards those who choose to love whomever they may want (evidenced, in part, by this morning’s Supreme Court decision). For Sean Conroy, being open about his life is nothing new. For a few more years, doing so will earn him the title “pioneer,” and it is a fair title to be given for a player who has done something no one else has dared to do, no matter how far removed from fame he may be. For the sake of our country, and the sake of humanity in this country, however, my only hope is that one day, such a move will not be seen as ground-breaking, or even shocking. Every single person deserves the right to feel comfortable in their own skin, as Conroy obviously does. Progress is being made toward creating a more accepting environment and atmosphere in sports, but until an athlete going against the grain is labeled a “starting pitcher” instead of a “pioneer,” there is still work to be done. Sean Conroy gets that, and for that, I commend him.

First Openly Gay Pro Baseball Player Pitches Shutout In Sonoma

Sean Conroy celebrates with catcher Isaac Wenrich after his historic start in Sonoma on Thursday.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Originally Published (With Video): ABC-7 News

Katie Marzullo, Reporter

The Sonoma Stompers are an independent minor league baseball team and they celebrated a shut out win and pride Thursday night, by acknowledging their starting pitcher, Sean Conroy, as the first openly gay pro baseball player.

"Having all the fans here and having Pride Night. It was just amazing," Conroy said.

In his first professional start, Conroy pitched a 7-0 shutout against the Vallejo Admirals. He is an openly gay player, which is a first for professional baseball.

"If you can play, you can play, so it doesn't matter your sexual orientation, whatever. If you love something do it," Conroy said.

It was his teammates' idea to wear something special to honor Pride Night and they couldn't be prouder of him. They wore rainbow socks to help celebrate the occasion. Fellow pitcher Jon Rand hopes the message reaches beyond the Bay Area.

"Anybody can play. You have Mo'ne Davis; you have a female baseball player. This game does not discriminate against anybody. It's a fair game," Rand said.

The fans at the game loved watching baseball and loved the message.

"An out pitcher, starting, is phenomenal. It just doesn't happen; so it's really cool to see it and I'm thrilled it's in my community and that I can be part of it," Santa Rosa resident Brenda Hays said.

The game may have served as a platform for gay rights, but don't forget, Conroy also served up a big win.

"He's here because he can pitch. He's here because he deserves a chance to pitch professionally. This isn't some sort of sideshow. He's here because he can get guys out," Theo Fightmaster, the vice president and general manager of the Sonoma Stompers said.

It's a winning team making history.

First Openly Gay Pro Baseball Player Celebrated

Sonoma Stompers pitcher Sean Conroy, left, warms up during practice at Arnold Field, in Sonoma, Calif. on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. Conroy, 23, of Clifton Park, N.Y., is the first openly gay player to enter the professional baseball ranks, according to the Stompers.

Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat via AP

Originally Published: KTVU

Staff Report

It's not the big leagues, but a Sonoma County pitcher is making big waves as the first openly gay player in professional baseball.

Thursday evening, 23-year-old Sean Conroy made his first pro start on Arnold Field in Sonoma, before a crowd of about 400 fans.

"If you can play, you can play," Conroy told KTVU in the dugout after the win.

His words were interrupted by an ice water bath over his head, drenching him and setting off cheers from his teammates.

A handful of professional players have come out as gay after their careers ended, but Conroy is the only active player to do so.

"It was very casual and comfortable, he just wanted to let people know who he is as a person," Sonoma Stompers General Manager Theo Fightmaster told KTVU, "he's been on high school teams and college teams and been openly gay and it hasn't been an issue there, and happy to say it hasn't been an issue here."

Conroy was recruited from New York, where he played college ball, and moved to Sonoma last month.

Thursday was "Pride Night" at the ballpark, which dovetailed with Conroy's desire to be open and honest about his sexual orientation.

On the field, the most telling sign of support were the rainbow stripe socks worn by his teammates.

"To us he's just one of the guys," catcher Isaac Wenrich told KTVU, "it's crazy, in the locker room, he jokes around, he's just a regular person, so it's really cool that we can show him a little love too."

First baseman Tommy Lyons agreed, noting that there are undoubtedly major leaguers who are gay, but afraid to come out.

"We've all heard rumors of different players over the years," Lyons acknowledged,

"and it's unfortunate that there's still a bias today against that. He's just another one of the guys. That's how we see him."

The Sonoma Stompers are one of four teams in the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball.

Among Conroy's noisiest supporters in the grandstand: his host parents who house and feed him, and transport him to and from ballparks. The league is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or its farm system. It's small budget baseball with an abundance of passion, and big dreams.

"Sean's not really looking for this notoriety," host parent Barry Bosshard told KTVU, "he's really just guy who wants to make it, play baseball."

Most of the fans were regulars at Stompers Games, but a few spectators said they'd come because of Pride Night and Conroy.

"Even the kids, they're wearing the rainbow wristbands," Grace Villafuerte of Santa Rosa told KTVU, "like it's normal, and that blows my mind. It's beautiful. Times have changed."

And at games end, with Conroy pitching all nine innings, to a 7-0 shutout of the Vallejo Admirals, everyone was on their feet cheering, their ace who happens to be an advocate too.

"I'm not active in the community yet, but maybe soon," smiled Conroy, "but I just love being out there. I hope people can follow my example."

At game's end, he had a line of local children waiting for his autograph.

"There's kids in the audience who will look at Sean and know he's brave enough to say it and he's good at baseball," noted his skipper, Fightmaster, "and they'll realize all that matters is that he's good at getting guys out."

First Openly Gay Pro Baseball Player Makes History, Pitches Shutout

Sean Conroy is congratulated by Isaac Wenrich after his performance on Thursday night.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers via AP

Originally Published: Think Progress

Kiley Kroh, Senior Editor

Sean Conroy pitched a complete game shutout on Thursday night, striking out 11 and allowing just three hits, to lead the Sonoma Stompers to a decisive 7-0 victory over the Vallejo Admirals. He also made history, becoming the first openly gay active professional baseball player.

“He wanted to be that guy, and coming out here and doing this shows you what kind of man he is,” remarked Tim Livingston, the team’s radio broadcaster, as the game came to an end. “To see this little field here in the middle of nowhere, when we look back it will have been the perfect setting for this.”

The Stompers, part of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball, play in a small 370-seat field in Northern California wine country. When the 23-year-old right-hander was announced with the rest of the starting lineup, Conroy received the loudest cheers. “It’s great they cheered for him,” Nancy Dito, 67 and one of three fans selected to throw out the first pitch, told the Associated Press. “I think it’s courageous and wonderful he’s doing this.”

Conroy shared his sexual orientation with the Stompers when he was first recruited out of college in May. General Manager Theo Fightmaster told the AP that the team was supportive of Conroy and whatever extent he wanted to take his story public.

“It’s not that I wanted it to go public, but I didn’t care if it was open information. It’s who I am,” Conroy said. “I am definitely surprised that no one else has been openly gay in baseball yet.”

Former major leaguer Glenn Burke retired from baseball in 1979 and became the first player to come out publicly in 1982. After his career was over, Burke spoke about the way he was treated and how the pressure of being a closeted player contributed to his decision to leave the sport at just 27 years old.
“It’s harder to be gay in sports than anywhere else, except maybe president,” he said. “Baseball is probably the hardest sport of all.”

Burke and several of his former teammates have said they believe he was traded by the Dodgers in 1978 because he was gay. In his final season with the A’s, “the team’s new manager, Billy Martin, reportedly addressed Burke with homophobic slurs in front of teammates,” according to the New York Times. Burke died of AIDS in 1995.

Billy Bean retired from professional baseball in 1995, after six seasons in the majors, and came out publicly in 1999. Last year, Major League Baseball named Bean its first Ambassador for Inclusion. Following pioneering athletes like basketball’s Jason Collins and football’s Michael Sam, Bean was hired explicitly to promote LGBT inclusion and awareness across baseball.

The task is no small one. After Bean spent time with the Mets during spring training this year, infielder Daniel Murphy told reporters that he “disagreed” with Bean’s lifestyle and the fact that he is gay. Bean’s response was one of patience. “When I took this job at MLB, I knew it was going to take time for many to embrace my message of inclusion,” he wrote in a blog post. “Expecting everyone to be supportive right away is simply not realistic.”

Bean was driving to Arizona to do a session with the Diamondbacks on Friday and hadn’t yet heard how Conroy pitched. “That’s awesome,” he said when I told him about the shutout over the phone. “These are the kinds of things that I think move our message. It’s a positive story about athleticism and competition, his desire to compete and be his best self. That’s how you create change among his peers — they see a guy who went out there and pitched a shutout.”

With the historic Supreme Court ruling bringing marriage equality to all 50 states, Bean said his phone was “blowing up,” but that he wanted to share “100 percent admiration and support for Sean,” and added that he’d be reaching out to Conroy to tell him the same directly. “It’s a great day for many people and I’m proud to have the support of MLB for the message of inclusion.”

Pitcher Sean Conroy Makes History as Baseball's First Openly Active Gay Pro

Sean Conroy and Isaac Wenrich hug after Conroy's historic start on Thursday night.

James Toy/Sonoma Stompers via AP

Originally Published: NBC 11 Bay Area

Lisa Leff and Olga Rodriguez, AP

Baseball history was made on a field of wistful dreams in Northern California's wine country Thursday with the appearance of the sport's first openly gay active professional.

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

"Leading up to the game it was definitely more stressful than usual," Conroy said.

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. We respect who you as a pitcher and a person and to whatever degree you want your story told, we'll help facilitate that,’” 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.”

Conroy's debut as a starting pitcher for the Stompers on Thursday not only was historic, but was one to remember after he pitched a complete-game shutout and striking out 11 batters on 140 pitches.

"If you can play, you can play," Conroy said. "It doesn't matter your sexual orientation, whatever. If you love something do it."

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 with 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.

As far as coming out publicly, Conroy said he regards it as a way to both help his team and to set an example for other players.

“It's not that I wanted it to go public, but I didn't care if it was open information. It's who I am,” he said. “I am definitely surprised that no one else has been openly gay in baseball yet.”

Bean, who serves as Major League Baseball's ambassador of inclusion, called Conroy a pioneer and said he planned to keep an eye on the young pitcher.

“It will be a great day for the LGBT community. I hope he pitches well and gets another opportunity to start another game,” Bean said. “It doesn't matter if he pitches in the big leagues or not, he's going to become a leader (tonight) in many ways, an influential leader for a lot of young kids not only in that community but those who will read the story and who may be pondering that same decision in their teenage years and they want to be baseball players or they want to be football players.”

Conroy's history-making start comes at a watershed moment for gay rights, with the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled to rule any day now on whether to make same-sex marriage legal across the nation.

The Stompers are not planning to make a special announcement or call attention to the milestone so Conroy can focus on his pitching, although some players will be wearing rainbow socks or other gay pride symbols in support of their teammate, Fightmaster said.

“As a small independent team we do try to find ways to be relevant, and this is certainly in that category. But I think the Giants would do the exact same thing if they were in this situation,” he said. “We try to saddle that line between respecting the game and doing what's right by the players who are here every day and doing stuff outside the box enough so people realize we exist.”

The life of a Stomper is certainly a far cry from the majors. Players live with host families during the June-to-August season, earn $650 a month on average and supply their own cleats, batting gloves and elbow guards. Arnold Field, their home turf, seats 370.

Conroy hopes to catch the eye of a big league scout, but hasn't focused on much beyond this season.

“I’m just looking to play well and do as well as I can wherever they put me,” he said.

NBC Bay Area's Ian Cull contributed to this report.

Indie League Pitcher Becomes First Openly Gay Active Baseball Player

Sean Conroy does his pre-game routine on Tuesday. He started on Thursday on Pride Night, making history as the first openly gay pro baseball player.

AP

Originally Published: Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports

Chris Cwik, Writer

Baseball history has been made. Pitcher Sean Conroy of the Sonoma Stompers became the first openly gay active baseball player, according to Lisa Leff and Olga Rodriguez of the Associated Press. And he posted one heck of a start Thursday while his club celebrated Pride Night.

The Stompers are part of the independent Pacific Association of Baseball Clubs. They are not affiliated with Major League Baseball. That didn't stop MLB historian John Thorn from confirming Conroy was the first active gay baseball player, according to the AP.

"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."

Both Glenn Burke and Billy Bean have come out, but neither player did so while they were still active players, according to Thorn.

The 23-year-old Conroy served as the Stompers' closer to begin the season, but started on Thursday for Pride Night. If the added attention made him nervous, he didn't show it. 

Conroy went the distance, tossing a complete game shutout against the Vallejo Admirals. He allowed just three hits and struck out 11 batters during the contest.

Conroy has been open about his sexual orientation since he was 16-years-old. He told his high school, summer league and college teammates about his sexuality, and said it would be strange to keep it from the Stompers once he joined the club. 

Conroy spoke with team general manager Theo Fightmaster and his teammates privately before coming out publicly. He agreed to come out to the general public before the team celebrated gay pride night. 

The decision to come out is not has nothing to do with the added attention, according to Conroy.

"It's not that I wanted it to go public, but I didn't care if it was open information. It's who I am," he said. "I am definitely surprised that no one else has been openly gay in baseball yet."

Because of that, the Stompers will not make an announcement regarding Conroy's milestone. Instead, they will allow Conroy to focus on pitching. Some of Conroy's teammates will wear rainbow socks or other gay pride symbols as part of their uniforms in order to show support for Conroy, however.

Bean, who is MLB's ambassador for inclusion, said he was encouraged by the announcement. 

"It will be a great day for the LGBT community. I hope he pitches well and gets another opportunity to start another game," Bean said. "It doesn't matter if he pitches in the big leagues or not, he's going to become a leader (tonight) in many ways, an influential leader for a lot of young kids not only in that community but those who will read the story and who may be pondering that same decision in their teenage years and they want to be baseball players or they want to be football players."

As Bean indicated in his statement, it doesn't really matter whether Conroy makes it to the majors. If his announcement inspires others, that will be enough.

Depending on how well Conroy is received, his actions might even encourage a current major-league player to come out. Conroy may not play in the majors, but his decision could be the first step toward something bigger.

Local Product Is First Actively Openly Gay Pro Baseball Player

Shenendehowa High School grad Sean Conroy made history with the Sonoma Stompers on Thursday, becoming the first openly gay professional baseball player in history and throwing a three-hit shutout in the process.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Originally Published: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM - The Team

Brady Farkas, Reporter

On Thursday night in Northern California, a local product made baseball history.

Shenendehowa graduate Sean Conroy, who is also an RPI product, became the first openly gay player in professional baseball. He plays for the Sonoma Stompers, an independent team.

Conroy had 11 strikeouts and allowed just three hits in a Stompers win.

Conroy earned the start on “Pride Night,” and had immediate support from his teammates, the local community, and his coaching staff.

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

However, Conroy, who was a DIII All-American at RPI, is here because he is a dang good baseball player.

“He’s here because he can pitch. He’s here because he deserves a chance to pitch professionally. This isn’t some sort of sideshow. He’s here because he can get guys out,” Theo Fightmaster, the vice president and general manager of the Sonoma Stompers said to ABC7 News.

“It doesn’t matter if he pitches in the big leagues or not; he’s going to become a leader (tonight) in many ways,” said Billy Bean, Oakland A’s general manager, who came out as gay after his playing career ended.

Openly Gay Pitcher Delivers Historic Gem

Sean Conroy pitches during Pride Night on Thursday night for the Sonoma Stompers. Conroy, 23, is the first openly gay active pro baseball player in history.

Danielle Putonen/Sonoma Stompers

Originally Published: Just A Bit Outside - Fox Sports

Rob Neyer, Columnist

Thursday night, I wrote a blog post about Sean Conroy, scheduled for his first professional start for the Pacific Association's Sonoma Stompers. Well, things could hardly have turned out better for everyone involved.

Except for the opposing Vallejo Admirals, as Conroy pitched a three-hit shutout. It took the first-year pro 140 pitches, but he struck out 11 Admirals and walked only one.

I'm late to this party. Conroy's been with the Stompers since Opening Day, having been recommended by the club's sabermetric consultants. Couple of fellows named Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller. Maybe you've heard of 'em.

It's hard to say exactly what Ben and Sam saw in Conroy -- they're saving all the gory mathematical details for their book -- but one might guess they appreciated Conroy striking out five times more batters than he walked in his last three seasons at D-3 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. And that he gave up only two homers in 217 innings.

Conroy wasn't drafted, though, which is why he was available to the Stompers. He probably wasn't drafted because he doesn't throw hard at all. They've got PITCHf/x in the Stompers' ballpark, so radio announcer Tim Livingston was kind enough to send me some details of Conroy's shutout:

Conroy sat 81-84 from a low 3/4-sidearm with a two-seam fastball. He relied mostly on his slider -- seven of nine hitters he saw were righties -- with tremendous break on the horizontal plane. He changes to an over-the-top curveball from time to time that sat around 75, and he threw a few changeups to the left-handed hitters.

Against righties, his arm slot comes from behind the eye line of the hitter because he throws off the third-base side, which makes it difficult to pick up. Is fearless about coming inside to righties, even with just 84, as the way he throws, it snakes back on the inside corner. He's got nasty stuff for this league, which favors the hitters.

He only had two hard hit balls all night: The double to P.J. Phillips (Brandon's little brother) on a 1-2 fastball in the first, and a hanger in the fifth that was snagged on a line drive at third.

Thanks, Tim! Nice job on the broadcast, by the way. Hit all the high notes and all the right notes, I thought. (At the end, the shutout complete, I laughed. Might have cried just a little, too. Wanted that shutout, bad.)

Thursday was Conroy's first start with the Stompers, but he's made a bunch of relief outings earlier in the season, and I don't quite know how he didn't show up on my radar until now. For most of the background, here's a story from Tuesday's Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Oh. Right. I almost forgot to mention: Conroy's gay, and doesn't care who knows it.

Which makes him, as near as anyone can tell, the first publicly gay player in the history of professional baseball. Which seems like sort of a big deal. Considering how many thousands -- or, wait, is it hundreds of thousands? -- of professional baseball players came before Conroy.

Now, you might think this has been noticed just in the last two or three years. You know, with Michael Sam and Jason Collins. Well, a dozen years ago someone asked major-league pitcher Todd Jones, then with the Rockies, what he thought about having a gay teammate. His response included this gem: "I wouldn't want a gay guy around me."

From my response to Jones:

“I hope that, sometime in the near future, a gay baseball player comes out, and that he's strong enough to fight through all the crap he's going to get from jerks like Todd Jones. To me, that player will be a hero, more admirable than just about anybody else in the game, right up there with Jackie Robinson and Curt Flood and the few other professional athletes brave enough to stand up for something other than ever-growing paychecks.”

But punishing jerks for expressing their backward thoughts isn't going to make things any easier for the first player who comes out. We need to work on changing thoughts, not punishing people for having them.

It's 12 years later, and I wouldn't change a word of that. Except I wouldn't call Jones a jerk. That's one of the differences between the then-me and the now-me, as I generally try my best to hate the sin but love the sinner. I wasn't completely fair to Jones, however much I disagree with his sentiment (which, by the way, might have changed by now).

It's 12 years later, and we still haven't seen an openly gay major leaguer. Or an openly gay player drafted or signed by a major-league organization. Again, we're talking about thousands and thousands of young men, and there's no escaping the fact that dozens and dozens of them were gay. And probably scared to death that somebody would find out. Which is, by all accounts, a pretty terrible way to live.

The sport that revels, more than any other sport, in integration has been terribly slow here. Baseball should have been first, but instead it's apparently going to be last. Which means now it's just a question of how last. Hiring Billy Bean was a good step. Enthusiastically supporting umpire Dale Scott was a good step.

But the next step might well be the hardest: creating an atmosphere within professional locker rooms that will make gay players feel comfortable coming out. I don't think it'll take another 12 years, but then again I wouldn't have guessed it's taken this long.

It's highly unlikely that Conroy will pitch in the majors. Throwing 84, he probably won't even get a shot with an affiliated minor-league team. But however long it takes for the breakthrough, I'll bet the first publicly gay major leaguer will save a word of thanks for Sean Conroy. Because the best thing for the cause is good news on the field. And Thursday night, there was nine beautiful innings of good news.

First Openly Gay Pro Player, Sean Conroy, Gets Shutout In Historic Start

Sean Conroy warms up before Tuesday's game. On Thursday, in his first start of his professional career, he pitched a three-hit shutout while celebrating his coming out as the first active openly gay pro baseball player in history.

Christopher Chung/AP via The Press Democrat

Originally Published: The Associated Press, ESPN

AP Wire Services

Baseball history was made in Northern California wine country Thursday night when the sport's first active professional player to come out as gay pitched a shutout before an enthusiastic crowd that seemed more impressed with his performance than his role as a pioneer.

Sean Conroy, 23, led the Sonoma Stompers to a 7-0 victory during his first start with the 22-man team that is part of the independent Pacific Association of Baseball Clubs. The right hander struck out 11 players and allowed three hits over nine innings.

"He wanted to be that guy, and coming out here and doing this shows you what kind of man he is," Tim Livingston, the team's radio broadcaster, said after a ground ball ended the game and Conroy's teammates jogged over to hug him. "To see this little field here in the middle of nowhere, when we look back, it will have been the perfect setting for this."

The atmosphere at Arnold Field, the Stompers' 370-seat home field, was low-key, with no obvious signs it was a historic game or even gay pride night at the ballpark -- except for the rainbow-striped socks and arm warmers some players (but not Conroy) wore.

The Stompers did not make a special announcement or call attention to the milestone so Conroy could focus on his pitching, general manager Theo Fightmaster said.

When the starting lineup was announced, however, Conroy got the loudest cheer.

"We've had gay people here forever; it's not like it's a big deal," said Barry Bosshard, who along with his wife, Laura, is putting up Conroy and another player at their home during the Stompers' 78-game season. "But it's major pressure on him because he's never really broadcast it and he is a very humble, private person."

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

"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," he said.

Nancy Dito, 67, attended the game with 25 friends from a local group for LGBT seniors and was one of three fans picked to throw out a first pitch.

"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 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.

"While this pitcher who was unknown to me before your call may not be a prospect for Major League Baseball, he certainly deserves our applause," Thorn said.

Conroy, who had earned four saves as a closer for the Stompers before taking the mound as a starter for the first time, said he told his family he was gay at age 16 and was open with his high school, summer league and college teams. 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.

As far as coming out publicly, Conroy said he saw it as a way to help his team and to set an example for other players.

"It's not that I wanted it to go public, but I didn't care if it was open information. It's who I am," he said. "I am definitely surprised that no one else has been openly gay in baseball yet."

Conroy says he hopes to catch the eye of a big league scout but hasn't focused on much beyond this season.

The life of a Stomper is certainly a far cry from the majors. Players live with host families during the June-to-August season, earn $650 a month on average, and supply their own cleats, batting gloves and elbow guards.

Bean, who serves as Major League Baseball's ambassador of inclusion, said none of that diminishes his contribution to professional sports.

"It doesn't matter if he pitches in the big leagues or not; he's going to become a leader (tonight) in many ways," Bean said.

Conroy's history-making start came at a watershed moment for gay rights, with the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled to rule any day now on whether to make same-sex marriage legal across the nation.

Mark Vogler, 50, co-owner of a local company that sponsors LGBT tours and events in wine country, marveled from behind a fence not far from the catcher as he watched Conroy throw some of what turn out to be 140 pitches.

Vogler grew up in another part of Sonoma County and left as soon as he could because the anti-gay hostility was so high.

"To see Sean walk out and not get booed and have his teammates support him, it's heartwarming," he said.

On Historic Night, Conroy Thrills With Three-Hit shutout

Sean Conroy gets a congratulatory hug from Isaac Wenrich after throwing a 3-hit shutout on Pride Night as the first openly gay active player in professional baseball.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations 

Over 30 years since former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke announced to the public at large that he was gay and 15 years after another Major Leaguer, Billy Bean, did the same, a monumental moment for all of professional sports happened at a small, municipal field tucked away in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country.

On Pride Night at Arnold Field Thursday evening, the first active openly gay player in the history of professional baseball not only made history, but did it in spectacular fashion. Sean Conroy threw a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits and striking out 11 to lead the Sonoma Stompers to a 7-0 victory over the Vallejo Admirals.

From the beginning of the evening, Conroy (2-0) had control of the environment of Arnold Field and the attention not just of the fans, but of local and national media that was on hand to cover Thursday's historic event. Yet with the spotlight shining bright on the 23-year-old from Clifton Park, New York, he never wavered, never crumbled, and if anything, he thrived under the pressure.

The sidearmer never touched above 84 MPH, but his fastball movement and wipeout slider kept Vallejo (8-13) off-balance. Conroy only had two balls hit hard all night long, one being a double hit by P.J. Phillips in the first and another on a line drive snagged by T.J. Gavlik at third base in the fifth.

Outside of those two balls hit by the Admirals, it was smooth sailing for Conroy. He didn't let a runner get past second base and never had more than one base runner on at a time. He allowed only three hits total, walked one and hit a batter. His 11 strikeouts were one shy of the team record set by Roman Martinez in 2014 and tied by Gregory Paulino on Wednesday night.

On Conroy's 140th pitch of the night, Kristian Gayday fielded the ball at third and threw over to first to end the game. After a hug from catcher Isaac Wenrich, the celebration line began and Conroy was warmly greeted by teammates and fans alike as he walked off the field. While talking to media after the game, the Conroy celebration continued when he got ambushed with an icy cold cooler of water from his teammates.

When asked about what the night meant to him, Conroy was still trying to put together what had just happened. "I still haven't been able to process it," said Conroy, "After the final out, I just wanted to celebrate with my teammates like we always have."

Offensively, Sonoma got big nights from Joel Carranza (3-for-4), Isaac Wenrich (2-for-4, two-run homer) and Fehlandt Lenten (two-run homer). All seven runs came consecutively in the third through sixth innings, as they chased Vallejo starter David Dinelli (3-2) just six days after Dinelli shut down the Stompers back in Vallejo.

Even with Sonoma sweeping a team for the fourth time already this season and the team winning 16 of their first 19 games, the greatest victory the Stompers have had this season came tonight. Conroy's start will be remembered not just for its dominance, but for it being exactly what he had hoped to do in making the start in the first place.

From the time he came out at the age of 16 to his friends and family, and to each of his teammates and team members since, he had wanted to set an example for others to follow, much like the way he has followed in the footsteps of Burke and Bean. Many times, the moniker of "role model" has been given to people because they exemplify peak performance for others to follow. Yet Conroy is a role model not just because of his performance, but because he understands the big picture of players like him in professional sports.

Jason Collins did it in basketball. Michael Sam did it in football. Now Sean Conroy has done it in baseball. It's his goal to continue up the professional ranks and give himself the opportunity to play at the highest level. With his remarkable start on Thursday night, his march towards that goal continues, and perhaps his courage will encourage others to do what he's done.

Sonoma goes on the road Friday for the first of three games in Pittsburg against the Diamonds. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. with the radio coverage beginning at 6:50 p.m. on StompersBaseball.com and the TuneIn app.

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