Bill Bean is one of two openly gay players in MLB history.
Billy Bean is one of two openly gay players in MLB history — out of some 18,000. (Getty)

The documentary on Billy Bean airing Tuesday night on the MLB Network seems like a must watch. Bean is one of just two players in Major League Baseball history, out of 18,000 or so, to come out as homosexual. As with Glenn Burke, the other known player from back in the 1970s, Bean didn't reveal his full self until after his career was over.

Not to be confused with Billy Beane the Oakland Athletics president, who is two years older but had his playing career overlap, Billy Bean played nine seasons in the minors among parts of six seasons in the majors — all while locking himself in the proverbial closet. Today he is MLB's first ambassador of inclusion, a post created by Bud Selig to help inform, guide and train players on matters of the LGBT community.

But when he was a player, Bean didn't feel the least bit welcome.

One particular heartbreaking account of Bean's life comes from what happened after his first major league home run, hit while playing for the San Diego Padres in 1993. Bean was having dinner with teammates celebrating his big moment when a knock on the door interrupted them. It was Bean's partner, "Sam," who was listening to the game on the radio and heard the home run. He, too, wanted to celebrate with Bean.

But because he wasn't outed to his teammates, Bean felt he couldn't possibly explain Sam was, he hustled him down the stairs and told him to "wait in the car." Sam did, for at least two hours, Bean said.

Bean later asked himself, "What am I doing?" But that's how life in the closet was 20 or so years ago for a major league ballplayer.

"Baseball wasn't ready," Bean said. And neither was he.

The documentary also includes interviews with basketball player Jason Collins, and MLB umpire Dale Scott, who also came out recently. Watch it, DVR it — whatever — it airs at 9 p.m. ET.