Former MLB Player T.J. House Marries Partner Ryan Neitzel in New Orleans Wedding: ‘World Series Kind of Love’
House, one the MLB's first openly gay players, tied the knot on March 29
Former Major League Baseball pitcher T.J. House is officially married to his partner, Ryan Neitzel.
In a post shared to Instagram, 34-year-old House wrote, “It’s that can’t eat, can’t sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of love" — a line from the 1995 film, It Takes Two, and a nod to House's career as a pitcher who played for the Cleveland Guardians and the Toronto Blue Jays from 2014-2017.
A carousel of images showed the happy couple wearing tuxedos with complementary floral boutonnieres. House added the date of the ceremony — March 29, 2024 — in the caption, and also showcased detail shots from the wedding day, which took place in New Orleans.
In one snap, the couple can be seen holding fringed parasols as their wedding guests march through the streets following their ceremony. In another, House is pictured as his mother, Darlene, pins his boutonniere on his lapel.
House announced his engagement to Neitzel on Facebook in December 2022, in a post in which he first publicly came out as gay. He was among the first openly gay players in the MLB.
Related: Former MLB Pitcher T.J. House Comes Out as Gay, Announces Engagement: 'Love Has Finally Set Me Free'
"Love. It’s a simple word, one that carries much weight and meaning. Each of us defines love in a different way, but at the core we all just want to feel the same," House wrote in the post, adding: "Shame has kept me quiet all these years, but Love has finally set me free."
Elsewhere in the post, House referenced the Respect for Marriage Act that passed that same day, writing that the legislation "gives me the confidence to get engaged to the person I love (he said Yes!), to marry them."
"I have a wonderful fiancé, who challenges me daily to become a better person," House added. "To live life authentically. One who I never deserved but blessed to have. Love you see, it's for everyone."
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House is only the third MLB player to come out as gay publicly.
The other two players are Glenn Burke — who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics in the 1980s — and Billy Bean, who played for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the 1990s.
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