NOTABLE EVENTS IN BASEBALL UNIFORMS

Spalding and Rawlings were some of the earliest equipment makers, dating back to the 1880s. Brands such as MacGregor, Goldsmith, Wilson and many others negotiated deals with individual teams. Teams could make their own uniform arrangements until 1987.

1849

The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York officially adopts uniforms: white flannel shirts, blue woolen pantaloons and straw hats.

1867

The Cincinnati Red Stockings are the first baseball club to wear knickers rather than pants.

1882

The major leagues experiment with multicolored uniforms that correspond to player positions.

1888

Three teams become the first to don pinstriped uniforms. Most uniforms include stockings.

1889

The Brooklyn Bridegrooms (also known as the Trolley-Dodgers) become the first club to wear checked uniforms.

1897

The National League Boston Beaneaters are the last club to wear shield-front jerseys.

Early 1900s

Teams begin wearing home and road uniforms.

1905

The stirrup, or sanitary sock, is introduced.

1906

The New York Giants introduce the collarless jersey.

1907

The Reading Red Roses of the Atlantic League are the first club known to experiment with uniform numbers.

1909

The Chicago Cubs are the first club to wear uniforms with “military” or “standing” collars.

1910

Both clubs in Boston are the last to wear laced-front jerseys.

1914

The Federal League Buffalo Blues are the first to adopt script lettering on their shirt fronts.

1916

The Cleveland Indians are the first club to wear uniform numbers.

1920

New Era, the baseball cap company, started. It has deals with individual clubs for decades and becomes an official licensee in 1987. Its caps are sold to the public in 1978.

1929

The Indians are the first to wear numbers on the back of their shirts.

1936

The New York Yankees place the now-familiar interlocking NY logo on their shirt fronts.

1937

The Chicago Cubs introduce the zipper-front jersey.

1939

In honor of the fatally ill Lou Gehrig, the Yankees become the first team to retire a uniform number, Gehrig's No. 4.

1940

The Chicago Cubs introduce the sleeveless jersey. a lightweight flannel vest worn over a knitted undershirt.

1951

The Springfield Cubs become the first club to wear uniform numbers on the front of their jerseys, with the Brooklyn Dodgers following suit in 1952.

1960

The Chicago White Sox are the first team to identify players by placing names on the back of their jerseys.

1970

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the first major league team to wear a cotton-nylon blend featuring pullover shirts and beltless pants. Wool had been phased out in the early 1960s.

1973

Between 1970 and 1973 every club transitions from flannel uniforms to synthetic materials.

1976

The Chicago White Sox are the first team to wear shorts.

1987-91

Rawlings becames the first official jersey supplier to MLB teams and is allowed to display its logo on them.

The 1990s

Performance fabrics are introduced, such as Dri-FIT and CoolBase, which are designed to wick moisture away from the skin and keep players cool and dry.

2019

Under Armour introduces the CoolSwitch, an anti-odor technology that prevents the growth of microbes.

2020

Nike takes over as the official uniform provider and introduces jerseys made with recycled materials.

2021

Seven teams start wearing City Connect jerseys. After this year only two teams won't have City Connect uniforms, the Yankees and Oakland Athletics.

2024

The uniforms designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics are criticized.

The Yankees have used several logo variations. The interlocking NY was originally designed by Tiffany & Co. as part of a medal of valor presented to a New York City police officer who survived being shot in the line of duty in 1877.

“The stirrup has become part of the visual signature of baseball as no other sport used it. For a certain generation, myself included, it was kind of a key moment when you got your first Little League uniform and got to pull up those stirrups. I remember how official that felt. What's funny, of course, is that stirrups were meant to simulate a solid stocking. The original opening of stirrups back in 1910, or whenever it was, were so small, the idea was to not show the opening.” – Paul Lukas of Uni-Watch

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Illustration of Red Stockings in Harpers Weekly from 1869

Rod Carew in 1985 SCNG The 1970 Pirates' new outfits were made of a blend of cotton and nylon and featured pullover buttonless jerseys with beltless pants … all groundbreaking innovations for big league baseball. The bold changes proved quite a success, with nearly every club soon following suit. The new look for the major leagues lasted until 1993, when the Cincinnati Reds became the last team to abandon pullover jerseys and beltless pants.

In 1916, the Indians experimented with placing numbers on the left sleeve of their home uniforms. The idea did not catch on as a permanent fixture of big league uniforms until 1929.

The rules of the game called for multicolored jerseys and hats designed to denote each player's position, with white pants, a white belt and a white tie. The only way to determine team affiliation was sock color.

Away

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