Blue Jays announce plan for when they'll wear new uniforms
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier might’ve summed it up best when he described his thoughts toward the team’s new City Connect uniforms.
“You look good, you feel good, you play good,” Kiermaier said at a release party for the jerseys in downtown Toronto.
After initially being announced in February, the uniforms were unveiled officially on Thursday evening.
Featuring an interpretation of the city’s skyline on an extremely dark blue uniform, the jersey also incorporates various shades of blue and a red accent with “Toronto” on the front of the chest.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. confirmed to Daily Hive that the recently debuted home run jacket was designed to be similar to the City Connect uniform, with both featuring an image of the Toronto skyline.
Based on the dark nature of the jersey, it’s been dubbed “Night Mode,” with the team planning to exclusively wear it for evening games.
“Our new City Connect uniform aims to emulate that ‘Night Mode’ feeling in the vibrant colours, the rhythmic skyline reflecting off the lake, and all the distinct details that make our city so dynamic,” said Marnie Starkman, executive vice president of business operations for the Toronto Blue Jays, in a release.
“Toronto’s City Connect uniform breaks from our beloved lineup of traditional uniforms and introduces a bold new fashion statement that captures the rhythm, culture, vibe, and spirit of the city.”
So far, 15 dates have been announced for the jersey to be worn:
- May 31 (debut)
- June 3, 5, 17, 19, 28
- July 3, 19, 24
- August 8, 21, 23
- September 13, 23, 25
But as any good baseball fan knows, traditions and superstitions are perhaps a bigger part of the game than any other sport. Typically, if a team goes on a big winning stretch while winning in alternate uniforms, fans will push for the team to keep wearing them, while they’ll likely turn against them if they’re associated with losses.
“I know there’s designated days that we’re going to wear them,” manager John Schneider said of potentially adding more games to the City Connect schedule. “All bets are off when it comes to winning at this level. If we’re rolling in them, hopefully, we keep rolling them out.”
Often, teams turn to their starting pitchers to select the uniform of choice for the day. Schneider added there was discussion of leaving it off the set schedule and simply letting the pitchers pick, but it seems like the team will stick to the above dates for the time being while possibly adding future dates if the players are inclined.
“I think my superstition just simply relies on what we did the day before. So like, obviously I’m currently pitching behind [Yusei] Kikuchi,” starting pitcher Chris Bassitt said. “If Kikuchi wears white, we win, I’m wearing white. We lose in white, I don’t wear white. So hopefully, these stay on a long time.”
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