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City Connect is a brand name for a line of alternate uniforms made by Nike, Inc. for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The uniforms feature different color schemes, typefaces, and graphic elements compared with the teams' typical home and away uniforms. The uniforms are designed to reflect the cultural aspects of each team's home city. [1] Of MLB's 30 teams, 25 have a City Connect uniform as of May 2024, with three more teams scheduled to debut theirs later in the 2024 season. The New York Yankees (who traditionally do not wear an alternate uniform) and Oakland Athletics (who are in the process of moving to Las Vegas) are the only two teams without a City Connect uniform.
Nike and MLB introduced the first round of City Connect uniforms during the 2021 season for seven teams, (Red Sox, Marlins, White Sox, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Giants, Dodgers). A second round debuted during the 2022 season for another seven teams (Nationals, Astros, Royals, Rockies, Angels, Brewers, Padres), a third during the 2023 season for six teams (Braves, Rangers, Mariners, Reds, Orioles, Pirates), and a fourth during the 2024 season for nine teams (Phillies, Mets, Rays, Tigers, Guardians, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Twins, Dodgers). [2]
Seven teams started wearing City Connect jerseys during the 2021 MLB season.
The seven teams that introduced City Connect uniforms in 2021 would continue to wear them for selected games. Seven additional teams introduced City Connect uniforms in 2022.
Six teams wore City Connect uniforms for the first time in 2023. [21]
Eight teams will reveal their City Connect uniforms and wear them for the first time in 2024. The Los Angeles Dodgers will also reveal a new City Connect uniform design during the season. [28]
The following teams do not have a City Connect uniform.
This is a summary list of the teams that have worn City Connect uniforms, their reveal dates, their on-field debut dates, their most recent use, the number of times each team had worn total and the total for the current season, and their usage patterns during the 2024 MLB season.
(Updated through May 25, 2024)
Team | On-field debut | Reveal date | Latest use | Times used | Times used in 2024 | Usage | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Diamondbacks | June 18, 2021 | June 13, 2021 | May 18, 2024 | 39 | 4 | Tuesday home games | [3] |
Atlanta Braves | April 8, 2023 | March 27, 2023 | April 26, 2024 | 18 | 3 | Saturday home games | [22] |
Baltimore Orioles | May 26, 2023 | May 22, 2023 | May 17, 2024 | 16 | 5 | Friday home games | [23] |
Boston Red Sox | April 17, 2021 | April 6, 2021 | May 25, 2024 | 41 | 6 | Patriots' Day weekend; Saturday home games | [4] |
Chicago Cubs | June 12, 2021 | June 8, 2021 | September 8, 2023 | 24 | 0 | Friday home games (June−September) | [5] |
Chicago White Sox | June 5, 2021 | May 28, 2021 | May 14, 2024 | 32 | 2 | Monday home games | [6] |
Cincinnati Reds | May 19, 2023 | May 13, 2023 | May 24, 2024 | 15 | 4 | Friday home games | [24] |
Cleveland Guardians | May 17, 2024 | May 12, 2024 | May 22, 2024 | 3 | 3 | Various home games | [33] |
Colorado Rockies | June 4, 2022 | May 27, 2022 | May 25, 2024 | 39 | 4 | Saturday home games | [12] |
Detroit Tigers | May 10, 2024 | May 6, 2024 | May 25, 2024 | 4 | 4 | Friday home games | [32] |
Houston Astros | April 20, 2022 | April 10, 2022 | May 20, 2024 | 21 | 3 | Monday home games | [14] |
Kansas City Royals | April 30, 2022 | April 25, 2022 | May 17, 2024 | 30 | 4 | Friday home games | [15] |
Los Angeles Angels | June 11, 2022 | June 6, 2022 | May 14, 2024 | 27 | 1 | Various home games | [16] |
Los Angeles Dodgers | August 20, 2021 | August 19, 2021 | September 18, 2023 | 19 | — | Various home games | [7] |
June 21, 2024 | June 2024 | June 21, 2024 | 0 | 0 | TBD | [36] | |
Miami Marlins | May 21, 2021 | May 17, 2021 | May 18, 2024 | 41 | 5 | Saturday home games | [10] |
Milwaukee Brewers | June 24, 2022 | June 17, 2022 | September 29, 2023 | 28 | 0 | Friday home games | [17] |
Minnesota Twins | June 14, 2024 | June 10, 2024 | June 14, 2024 | 0 | 0 | TBD | [36] |
New York Mets | April 27, 2024 | April 19, 2024 | May 25, 2024 | 5 | 5 | Saturday home games | [30] |
New York Yankees | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Oakland Athletics | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Philadelphia Phillies | April 12, 2024 | April 5, 2024 | May 17, 2024 | 4 | 4 | Friday home games | [29] |
Pittsburgh Pirates | June 27, 2023 | June 22, 2023 | May 24, 2024 | 12 | 4 | Friday home games | [25] |
San Diego Padres | July 8, 2022 | July 1, 2022 | May 24, 2024 | 27 | 5 | Friday home games | [18] |
San Francisco Giants | July 9, 2021 | July 5, 2021 | May 14, 2024 | 37 | 1 | Tuesday home games | [11] |
Seattle Mariners | May 5, 2023 | April 28, 2023 | May 10, 2024 | 14 | 4 | Friday home games | [26] |
St. Louis Cardinals | May 25, 2024 | May 20, 2024 | May 25, 2024 | 1 | 1 | Various home games | [34] |
Tampa Bay Rays | May 3, 2024 | April 29, 2024 | May 25, 2024 | 8 | 8 | Saturday home games [37] | [31] |
Texas Rangers | April 21, 2023 | April 17, 2023 | May 17, 2024 | 24 | 2 | Friday home games | [27] |
Toronto Blue Jays | May 31, 2024 | May 30, 2024 | May 31, 2024 | 0 | 0 | TBD | [36] |
Washington Nationals | April 9, 2022 | March 29, 2022 | May 25, 2024 | 45 | 7 | Friday and Saturday home games | [19] |
Boston.com conducted a poll of its readers in April 2021 and found a polarized reaction to the Red Sox's yellow and blue City Connect jerseys. About 49% of respondents said that they loved the new uniforms, about 36% said that they hated them, and about 9% chose the "I'm speechless" option. [38] After the Red Sox wore the City Connect uniforms for four consecutive games in September 2021, winning all four, manager Alex Cora said that the team would continue to wear them for as long as they kept winning. "I'm sorry, but if we continue winning, we've got to stay with them," Xander Bogaerts told NESN. [39]
A columnist for the San Francisco Examiner wrote in May 2022 that the Giants had a record of 12 wins and 2 losses in their City Connect jerseys. Although some fans derided their design as looking like an orange Creamsicle, fans eventually warmed to the jersey, increasingly wearing them to games on Tuesday nights, when the team typically wears their City Connect uniforms. [40]
Of the first 11 City Connect designs, USA Today's For the Win blog ranked the White Sox's uniform design as the best and the Giants' design as the worst. [41] In a July 2022 review ranking the first 14 uniform designs, ESPN's Joon Lee described the City Connect program as the league's boldest alternative jersey designs since the Turn Ahead the Clock promotions of the late 1990s. Lee rated the Rockies' City Connect uniforms as the best, and the Dodgers as the worst. [2]
The Padres' City Connect uniforms generated $240,000 in revenue at the team's official store on July 1, 2022, their first day of sale. The last time the team had introduced a new alternative uniform, in 2020, the team store sold $73,000 worth of merchandise on launch day. [42]
Upon its announcement in 2023, the Texas Rangers' City Connect design met with polarized reactions from local sports media commentators and fans, particularly about the hybrid "Peagle" mascot that appeared on the uniform tops. [43] [44] [45] [46]
Baltimore's City Connect design drew positive reviews for the colorful interior patterns, and also criticism for its mostly black, unadorned exterior. [47] The Orioles' players liked the look of their City Connect uniforms. [48]
Of the 20 designs that were announced during the first three seasons of City Connect, Joon Lee ranked the Orioles' design 20th, noting comparisons to Great Britain's generic uniforms at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Lee rated the Rockies' design as the best. [49] Three writers for The Athletic voted on their preferences among the first 20 City Connect designs. The Giants' and Rangers' designs tied for last place; the White Sox were rated as the best. [50]
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