What Is MLB City Connect Jerseys? Nike Uniforms in 2023
What is MLB City Connect Jerseys? In Major League Baseball, City Connect Jerseys is a special name for jerseys created by Nike for MLB teams.
They were first shown in the 2021 season. These uniforms look different with various writing styles, parts, and colours compared to the regular home and away uniforms. In 2023, twenty of the thirty major league teams wore a City Connect uniform.
In the first year, seven baseball teams wore the City edition outfit. Then, seven more teams started wearing it in 2022. Before the 2023 MLB season, they said six new teams would also wear it.
The special clothes made by Nike show the culture of the team’s city. Like, the Arizona Diamondbacks shirt is about the Hispanic community in Arizona. And the Red Sox uniform remembers the Boston Marathon.
What Nike City Connect Jerseys Mean?
Nike City Connect jerseys help teams get closer to their fans. In 2023, they added six extra teams like the Rangers and the Braves.
Nike, the MLB, and some teams made City Connect Jerseys. They wanted to make cool new designs that also showed love for the city where the team comes from.
This also helps teams connect with fans in a cool way, which is why it’s called City Connect. It helps MLB teams get closer to the city they’re from.
The Boston Red Sox were the first to show and wear the uniform. In the start year of 2021, seven teams decided to wear the City Connect Jerseys. After that, the Miami Marlins were the second team to wear it too.
The Marlins shirt is mostly red with white lines and letters in light blue. This outfit remembers the Havana Sugar Kings, a long-time Cuban team.
In 2021, the White Sox wore a different uniform. It was dark grey with white lines and fancy letters, like in old castles. This was a way to honour the south side of the city.
Next, the Cubs revealed their MLB City Connect Jerseys in 2023. It’s dark blue with some sky-blue touches. They got ideas from the Chicago flag for the design.
The front says Wrigleyville, which is a way to remember their awesome stadium, Wrigley Field. The letters look like the big sign at the stadium.
The SF Giants also had a special jersey. It’s cream and orange to celebrate the city’s mix of people and its history of important social changes. The word Gigantes on the front is about the team’s Latin American roots and fans.
The Dodgers were the final team to wear the special City Connect Jerseys. They put on their blue-and-white uniform on August 19, 2021. This uniform is a way to honour how Los Angeles is a big leader in culture, fun things, and sports.
The words Los Dodgers on the shirt and cap indicate how much they care about the Latino community and fans.
Why Do the Red Sox Have Yellow and Blue Clothes?
Why are the Red Sox wearing yellow? They’re wearing yellow to remember the Boston Marathon, a race that happens every year in Boston.
On April 17, 2021, the Red Sox played against the White Sox at Fenway Park. Instead of their usual red and white clothes, they wore yellow ones.
The yellow outfit with big blue letters saying Boston was a way to honour the Boston Marathon. This race usually happens on Patriot’s Day.
The Boston Marathon is a super famous race all around the world. It’s important to the city because it’s the oldest marathon ever.
The City Connect Jerseys look like marathon clothes. They’re mostly yellow and blue, which are the marathon colours. These special clothes were made to help the city feel closer.
The shirt has the number 617 on a small patch on the sleeve. This number is to remember Fenway Park, the oldest baseball field. It’s also the phone code for that place.
The Boston team really likes this uniform. They’ve won 18 games and only lost 4 when wearing it.
Teams With City Connect Jerseys
In 2023, Nike added six extra teams to wear City Connect jerseys this year. The new teams are the Orioles, Braves, Mariners, Rangers, Reds, and Pirates.
The Braves were the very first to show their uniform and play in it on the field. They shared their uniform on March 27 and used it for the first time on April 8.
Pirates City Connect Jerseys 2023
The Pirates got their special uniform for 2023. But they haven’t worn it in a game yet.
The baseball team from Pittsburgh will show their jersey on June 22. They will play in it for the first time on June 27 against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park, which is a really cool baseball field.
Atlanta Braves City Connect Jerseys Idea 2023
The Braves showed their special kit on April 8 when they played against the Padres at SunTrust Park. The clothes are mostly white, with red touches and blue sleeves.
This uniform is like a special way to remember Hank Aaron, a really great baseball player.
The design is about the time when Hank Aaron was chasing his 715th home run. It looks like the gear he wore during the 1974 season when he passed Babe Ruth’s home run record.
Texas Rangers City Connect Outfits 2023
Right after the Braves, the Rangers were the next team to wear the City Connect Jerseys in 2023. They first played in it on April 21 against the Oakland Athletics.
The uniform shows how the team brings together Dallas and Fort Worth, two big cities near Arlington where the team plays. Inside the shirt collar is April 21, when Texas became its own country.
The shirt is light, like cream, and has TX on the right side of the chest. The letters look like the writing from when the Fort Worth Panthers won in 1920.
Seattle Mariners City Connect Jerseys Idea 2023
The Mariners’ uniform remembers the old baseball times in the city. The clothes are dark blue with black pants. This is a way to honour two important teams from the past in Seattle: Pilots and Rainiers.
The uniform has a special patch on the sleeve that shows the Rainiers and the letters PNW, which stands for Pacific Northwest. The colours they used are like the ones the team had when they started.
The word Seattle on the front is written like how the first baseball team from Seattle, the Pilots, did it. The Mariners played in this uniform for the first time on May 5 against the Astros.
Cincinnati Reds City Connect Jerseys 2023
The Reds have a black shirt with red touches. The cap and shirt have a C shaped like a diamond. This design is about how Cincinnati is changing.
The shirt also says CINCY, their short name, in the front. On the collar, there’s an Ohio Buckeye and a city motto, Juncta Juvant, which means when we’re together, we’re strong.
The Reds first played in this uniform on May 19 against the Yankees.
Baltimore Orioles City Connect Jerseys Idea 2023
The Orioles first wore their new uniform on May 26 when they played against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park. The uniform is mostly black with white touches. It looks like the colourful designs inside the clothes and on the socks are from different neighbourhoods in the city.
The cap has a diagonal letter B, like their other away jerseys. The top part of the uniform has the word Baltimore in big white letters at the front. The writing style is like the Press font at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Globe Collection.
Baseball Teams Without Special Clothes in 2023
In 2023, some baseball teams don’t have City Connect jerseys. These are the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees. There are still ten teams who haven’t worn the special uniforms yet.
Cleveland Guardians Still Don’t Have Special Clothes
As of June 20, the Cleveland Guardians don’t have their City Connect jersey. They haven’t shown it yet.
Seven teams got special clothes in the first two years like the Nats did in 2022. But the Guardians and nine more teams haven’t shown their special clothes yet.
The New York Yankees are in the same situation as the Guardians. They also haven’t worn the special Nike outfits.