As you probably know by now, MLB teams are currently subject to Nike’s “four plus one” rule, which limits teams to four basic uniforms (home, road, and two alternates) plus a City Connect uniform. The Phillies were apparently granted an exemption last season, because they didn’t yet have a CC uni, so they were allowed to have five non-CC designs: white, grey, cream, blue/throwback, and red.
But with the Phils slated to finally get a CC uniform in 2024, the assumption has been that one of the other designs would have to go. And now the Phillies Nation blog is reporting that the red jersey is the one that will be mothballed.
This matches up with a note I received yesterday from Uni Watch reader Michael Driscoll, as follows:
As a Phillies season ticket holder, I get frequent emails from the team. At the bottom of yesterday’s email was this, “on this date” paragraph:
“Nov. 29: 2007: The Phillies introduced their alternate home cream uniform. Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Robin Roberts and the Phillie Phanatic modeled them at a media event at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils are expected to introduce a new City Connect uniform in the coming months. They will join the traditional home pinstripe and road grey uniforms, plus home cream and home powder blue uniforms.”
So that appears to confirm that the red jersey is being discontinued.
The red alternate was introduced in 2016, then demoted to spring training status in 2018, and then brought back as a “getaway day” game jersey in 2021. Its final appearance, at least for the foreseeable future, was in Game 5 of the NLCS on Oct. 21.
(My thanks to Tim Kelly for bringing the Phillies Nation report to my attention.)
These have always looked and felt like Spring Training uniforms, and had the least personality of any offerings in the Phillies wardrobe. Give me the powder blues any day over this.
That’s only because they, like most teams, wear a colored jersey with white or gray pants. It’s a bad look and one MLB should have put a stop to years ago. The red jersey should stay, but it should have matching red pants to go with it. I would prefer to ditch the cream alternates.
Correction: The photo linked at the end of this post appears to be from Game 5 of the NLCS on Oct 21.
Right. Fixed.
I think that was NLCS Game 5 on Oct 21, not NLDS Game 5 on Oct 17.
Right. Fixed.
It was certainly the aesthetic weak link of the group. Good call.
Of all the options available, they’ve chosen the right one to get rid of. Overall, the Phillies have a pretty good look, especially the cream uni. I just dread whatever storytelling monstrosity they’ll unveil for their City Connect uni.
Agree!
About the cream alts -they are really good- so much so that I say they ought be elevated to primary home, and the road grays are among the best standard uniforms (home or road) in the Bigs. Don’t care for the powders but fans young and old love them, so they weren’t going anywhere.
I say/pray(?)the CC’s take a cue from Philly’s street signs…Broad and Pattison, Frankford and Cottman, etc…
Agree to disagree. The home pinstripes are timeless and should stay where they are. I’d like to see the home creams demoted to Sundays only instead of all non-Thursday day games.
Love the cream alternates but the red pinstripes aren’t going anywhere. With the Yankees and Cubs, the Phillies have made pinstripes integral to their look.
I do think the iconic street signs would make a good CC idea, since the font and colors have nothing in common with the team colors and the signs are uniquely Philadelphia. That said, I am expecting “South Philly” in red, white, green and tributes to the Italian Market, Rocky or some such nonsense.
I always thought this was shirt was weird, since the Phillies use maroon instead of a shade of red that easily could be confused with Cincinnati or St. Louis.
The only uni on which the team uses maroon (burgundy really) is the powder blue throwback. On all their other uniforms, they use red. So there’s no reason for the “red” jersey to be anything but the shade it is/was. The only time the team wore solid burgundy was BP (remember Pete Rose in the 1979 ASG?) and the one game and one throwback where they wore the “Saturday Night Specials”
Pete: link
Orig SNS: link
Throwback SNS: link
The Phillies wore maroon for about 20 years out of the last 140. They are a red team.
I wish they used burgundy instead of red. Being a “red team” in the MLB is all too common, and have always preferred the burgundy look for them.
“ since the Phillies use maroon instead of a shade of red”
Did you last watch a phillies game in 1991?
Not that I’m a fan of four or more jerseys, but why in the world are the teams allowing NIKE to dictate this. Or MLB for that matter. Baseball historically is not as rigid as the NFL. Teams don’t have to wait years and can even make in season changes (or could). Fewer rules! More freedom!
Are teams forced to wear the CC uniforms? Didn’t know if that might be in the terms with the Nike deal with MLB? Or, is it just a marketing thing for both sides to sell more merch?
I’m not sure “forced” is the proper term, but for lack of a better word, I imagine the CC program has been baked into Nike’s uni contract; I’m sure teams are required to wear them at least a certain amount of times in year 1, 2 and 3. I believe every team that’s been given a CC uni in the first and second year has worn them in each successive year. Whether there is a minimum (likely) number or max (possible) number of times they will be worn is probably in the contract as well. I think some teams actually really like the CCs (as do their fans), and we’ve already seen a number of teams incorporate them into their uni “rotation” if they have one (For example the CC is worn on all home Friday nights, or Saturday games, etc.)
So are teams “forced” to wear them? I would say the answer is “yes.”
Sounds like a good spread sheet project.
If the City Connect unis don’t pay homage to Four Seasons Total Landscaping I’m out.