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Should the Boston Red Sox Wear Their City Connect Uniforms More?

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Good morning Uni Watchers! I hope everyone had a good weekend and that those who were able to spent some quality time with your dads for Father’s Day.

While flipping through the TV channels on Saturday night, I paused for a few minutes on the Red Sox/Yankees tilt. While I love baseball (it’s my favorite sport by a long shot, and it’s not even close), watching a Sawx/Yanks regular season game is pretty low on the list of games I want to watch, for many reasons. But when I watched Saturday night’s game, I saw the Sox were in their City Connect (CC) uniforms. It had been at least a couple years since I saw a game when Boston was in their CCs. In fact, other than 2021 when the unis were first introduced, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them in their UCLA blue caps and yellow tops on television.

By the time I’d turned the game on, it was the top of the 8th, and the Yankees had just scored to cut the Sox lead to 6-4, but managed to escape that inning. The Sox would add two more runs in the bottom half, and won the game 8-4. I remember thinking to myself that the Sox were one of those of those teams with a good record in their CCs. But I didn’t realize how good.

So I did some digging and it turns out that as of Saturday night, the Sawx have now worn their CC unis 42 times over three-plus seasons. Their record wearing them? 33-9. That’s right. Thirty-three wins against only nine losses. For those without a calculator handy, that translates to a winning percentage of .786! Now, 42 games is barely a quarter of a season, so it’s hard to extrapolate whether they’d even approach that percentage over a full season, but just for comparison, the team with the highest all-time single season winning percentage — the 1906 Chicago Cubs, who went 116-36 (.763) — isn’t even as good as the Red Sox winning percentage in the blue and yellow.

Well, you say, how have the Red Sox done since the start of the 2021 season? Were they pretty good, but just a bit better when wearing the CCs? Have they been almost as successful when wearing their regular uniforms? No, and it’s not even close. Overall the Sox have a 284-273 record (.510 winning percentage) since the start of the 2021 season, as of Saturday night’s game. So it’s not like they’ve been nearly as successful in those 3-plus seasons wearing their regular unis; they have specifically been not just good, but record-setting-pace good in their CCs.

Most teams who have introduced City Connects have adopted a specific schedule for wearing them (although there are always exceptions), but the Sox — at least until this year — haven’t been one of them. They were the first team to receive a CC, and wore them twice in April of 2021 (during Patriots Day weekend). They wouldn’t wear them again until September of that year, when they wore the CCs for six straight days. They went 1-1 in April, then in September, went 5-0 in the CCs before dropping their sixth and final game in them. This led some to speculate about whether Boston would have approval to wear the CCs if the team made the playoffs. Turned out, not only could they, they would have been able to wear them on the road.

For whatever reason, though, they chose not to. They wore white, gray, red and blue tops, but never the CCs, even though they were 6-2 in them that year.

In their second year with the CCs, the Sox again wore them during Patriots Day Weekend, winning both games. Then they shelved the uniforms for more than a month, breaking them out June 20-22. They won all three of those games. They kept them in the closet for another month, next breaking them out four times on July 25-28. They weren’t perfect this time, splitting those four games. Once again, the unis were put away until the very end of September, wearing them Sept. 28-29. They won both games. So for the 2022 season, the team went 9-2 in blue and yellow.

In 2023, the “no set schedule” for CC wearings was again in force. They wore them two of the three days of Patriots Day Weekend, going 2-0. For the third consecutive year, the team didn’t wear the CCs in May, but did break them out twice in June, wearing them for both halves of a double-dip on June 18. They swept that DH against the Yanks. Another full month passed, and the Sox busted the CCs out on July 25-26. They won both of those games as well, bringing their 2023 record in CCs to 6-0 to that point. Come August, they’d wear those uniforms seven straight games (August 7-13). They weren’t perfect that week, but did go 5-2 in the CCs. They’d break them out one last time, on Sept. 9-10, dropping the first but winning the second game. Their record in CCs for 2023 was 12-3.

After going three full seasons with no set dates (other than Patriots Day Weekend), in 2024, the Red Sox actually decided on a “set” schedule. Aside from Patriots Day Weekend, they announced they would wear the CCs for every Saturday home game. They wore them April 12-14, going 2-1 in them. They also wore them April 27th, destroying the Cubs 17-0 in the yellow and blue. Two May Saturday home gigs (May 11 and 25) resulted in a 1-1 record. And finally, they’ve worn them two Saturdays this month, June 1 and 15, winning both of those games. So far this year, their record is 6-2 in CCs.

So with an impossibly good 33-9 record in their CCs, should the club wear them more often? Should they keep the Saturday home schedule, but break them out “when they feel like they need a win,” as had been the case from 2021-23? It’s hard to argue with their success in them.

I have argued for years that the uniform has nothing to do with W’s and L’s, but fans and ballplayers are fickle. We’ve seen some really good teams wear some really bad uniforms over the years, but fans have come to “love” those bad unis because of the success a team has seen wearing them. (Of course the opposite is also true — some very good uniforms are loathed by fan bases because the team never saw success, or saw very little, while the team wore them).

I don’t attribute the Sox’ amazing success in their CCs to the CCs, but it’s hard to argue with a 33-9 record. So why don’t they break them out more often? The players and manager Alex Cora must feel like they’re some kind of a good luck charm, and apparently believe in their winning ways.

What do you guys think? Are they really “lucky” uniforms or do they just happen to play better when wearing them (in either case, that would argue for wearing them more often)? 42 games isn’t a huge sample, but it’s still plenty large enough. Please don’t base your answers on how the uniforms look, merely the success they have while wearing them. And has there ever been a single uniform that has brought as much success — a winning percentage of .786 (compared to the rather pedestrian .510 record in their regular unis)?

Your thoughts?

 

 
  
 

Guess the Game from the Uniform


Based on the suggestion of long-time reader/contributor Jimmy Corcoran, we’ve introduced a new “game” on Uni Watch, which is similar to the popular “Guess the Game from the Scoreboard” (GTGFTS), only this one asked readers to identify the game based on the uniforms worn by teams.

Like GTGFTS, readers will be asked to guess the date, location and final score of the game from the clues provided in the photo. Sometimes the game should be somewhat easy to ascertain, while in other instances, it might be quite difficult. There will usually be a visual clue (something odd or unique to one or both of the uniforms) that will make a positive identification of one and only one game possible. Other times, there may be something significant about the game in question, like the last time a particular uniform was ever worn (one of Jimmy’s original suggestions). It’s up to YOU to figure out the game and date.

Today’s GTGFTU comes from Patton Vance.

Good luck and please post your guess/answer in the comments below.

 

 

Uni Tweet of the Day

This one’s a couple days old, but it’s worth it…

 

And finally...

…that’s it for the early lede. The LA Dodgers are supposed to officially unveil their City Connect uniform today. It was the subject of not one, not two, but three separate leaks (and the cap has supposedly leaked too). I also believe TCU Football may be unveiling new unis today. So there should be several posts today in addition to Jamie’s Ticker. You’ll definitely want to keep checking back with UW today!

Everyone have a good Monday, and I’ll see you all back here tomorrow.

Peace,

PH

Comments (47)

    GTGFTU: 08/21/1974 (Wednesday) Southern California Sun (31) at Philadelphia Bell (28); John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia.

    According to Wikipedia it’s JFK but the brick buildings and artificial turf say Franklin Field. I went to Penn Law 1981-84 so I know the place. I played 3rd base in a softball league on that turf while studying for the bar in 1984; that was a scary experience with hard hit balls bouncing off that turf.

    That’s not JFK Stadium, more looks like Franklin Field, with the building ,artificial turf, and the ivy in the background. And oh those uniforms on the other team, boy are they ugly!

    Besides the astro turf in Franklin Field, that means it is 1975, the Sun are wearing their 1974 jerseys with their new 1975 helmets. And last, Vince Papale is wearing #44, in 1974 he wore #83.

    That’s Franklin Field, not JFK Stadium, but Wikipedia says the Bell didn’t play in Franklin Field until 1975 but they didn’t play the Sun in Philly in 1975 so I have no idea what the hell is going on in this pic.

    You are welcome Mitchell, that’s what I am here for, I answer WFL related questions 24/7 LOL! in fact, I even set up a WFL hotline right in my office. I have to go; I see I have a Detroit Wheels question on line 2.

    Some teams are superstitious about the CC’s. Detroit had some success when they debuted theirs and kept wearing them.

    As a red Sox fan myself, I hate these stupid yellow jerseys. I don’t care what their record is in them, they’re awful. I’ve gone to a handful of game at the Fens when they’re wearing these and have found myself not paying attention because they don’t look like the Red Sox. It’s a very bizarre experience.

    If I were a Red Sox fan, and if they wore those with red socks, I’d pay attention.

    Otherwise I’m with you. I don’t care about records when it comes to uniforms.

    Sorry, Boston, but if the name of your team has a color in it, you’re bound by said color.

    As bad as the Reds and Blue Jays CCs are, at least there’s red and blue in them, respectively.

    Until 2002 they wore tri-colored red white and blue striped socks… I’d much prefer they go back to those!

    Of all MLB’s teams, Boston comes closest to the description and spirit of the CC program. In the yellow and blue garb, the team does not represent the “Red Sox” per se, but rather the city of Boston, through its venerated marathon. It’s an acknowledgement there are more ideas than teams. The fact that so many City Connect uniforms came out poorly suggests designers took their eye off the ball when attempting to depict a community’s raison d’etre.

    Agreed about the Red Sox CC. Patriots Day/Marathon Monday/11 am game. It’s true there’s no red in it, but the connection to Boston doesn’t get much better.

    Yeah that’s kind of the issue I had with the Mets’ ones is why didn’t they stay Blue and Orange since those are the NYC city flag colors. Instead they get “Concrete”/Graphite. Philly and Boston get their city flag colors, but nope on New York. We get Grimace Connects….

    Was there a conclusion to the stolen Royals jerseys saga? Was anyone arrested? Did any of those ’77 KC uniforms ever end up on the re-sale market?

    by a long shot AND it’s not even close? kinda like how the sox beat the yanks on sunday night, OH!

    No, no, no to wearing the CCs more often. I prefer the set schedule. The primary uniforms are just that primary. Being a big Red Sox fan, I have noticed the team as also limited to navy and red jerseys to Friday nights. Realizing some like the CC program, my opinion would be to wear them only at home and on a certain day of the week. In regards to the Red Sox, like many I feel the uniform should involve red. I have watched a few UCLA, (Red Sox) games with the CC, but often find myself turning the channel.

    I realize the record for the CCs is good for the Red Sox. However I believe wins and losses are based on many factors with uniform colors not being one of them.

    On a unrelated note, why were some catchers protectors trimmed in green yesterday? I knew caps and many accents would be baby blue for Father’s Day, but couldn’t fined anything about the green.

    Correction: “…manager Joey Cora” should be his brother, Alex.

    Those Red Sox CCs will always remind me of UCLA, right down to the blue B logo. It would be a great look for the Bruins, not so much for the BoSox

    Change the blue to black and it would be something for the Bruins to try as a warmup maybe. Stick to the regular uni style for the games.

    Apologies if this link doesn’t work, but does anyone know what baseball game this gentleman is playing. It’s from todays WSJ link

    That is Strat-O-Matic baseball. Been playing it, off and on, since 1968.

    If they gave me a reason to go to Fenway again, and I find out they’re wearing those uni’s, I’d be thoroughly disappointment and the Fenway experience would be lessened. On there own the jersey isn’t bad, but for a team called the RED Sox to wear them doesn’t make sense, but I could say that about the whole CC program.

    If they were to wear the CC uniform on the road, what pants would they wear?

    Sigh… I don’t dislike the CC uniforms, especially seeing how bad they can get for other teams, but I’m still not fully on board. Wish they were worn LESS, if I’m honest. (And as far as they winning percentage notion goes… the Sox in recent years had PLENTY of success before yellow was even an option.)

    I’d be more on board if they included some red, even just a little, on these. Nike has done a lot weirder on the CC’s so I don’t think it would be too much of an affront to the color palate.

    I guess my first question would be, what teams have they been playing in those games? Before the 2024 set schedule, did they break out the CCs specifically in games against bad teams?

    That was gong to be my question, too. Easier to make a uniform lucky when playing bad teams.

    BTW based on the Mets recent Grimace influenced run, can we rename the Mets City Connects to the Grimace Connects since they connect much better with Grimace that the NYC?

    We have Vince Papale flying through the air! #72 on the Sun was a friend of my father’s, Cat Ballew, he briefly played on the Bell in 1974 and appeared in several Hollywood movies as a football player. If the WFL didn’t fold in 1975, my father would have been playing for the Sun with Anthony Davis as his RB, Tom Fears didn’t know if they had a number 9 available when my father asked him about it. True story, Tom Fears called my father on the phone to ask him how much money he wanted, and my father asked him about number 9. The Sun asked him to keep quiet about the negotiations, but my father told the papers, so the Sun denied they spoke to him. But I answered the phone one time, and it was Tom Fears who played on the Rams with Bell coach Ron Waller.

    If they really believe this success is due to their CCs, then it would be foolish for them not to wear these every game. But the reason they won’t is that they really know it’s random. If they would start wearing them every game their winning percentage would be the same as with their regular uniforms. It’s better to keep this on the schedule that they have, so each time they wear it the players and fans can get jacked up and hopefully keep winning. However, the more they wear them and the novelty wears off, so will the winning results.

    As a Red Sox fan, I’m so-so on the yellow and blue CC uniforms.

    On one hand, I think they’re ugly, and the color scheme has nothing to do with the that of the Boston Red Sox. On the other hand, it is a nice connection to the Boston Marathon and the city, so I’m fine with them being used. Despite all the success the team has had in the uniforms, seeing them once a week (Saturdays) during home stands is enough. I would hate it if the team ever had the audacity to wear them in the postseason.

    I know I’m not a fan of the CC uniforms. But, my wife has run the Boston Marathon. All the the clothing/collectables she brought back were all yellow/blue after the city flag. So, right away when they debuted, I understood them. Don’t necessarily look like the Red Sox. But, I get it.

    No, please, to answer the question. But if I were a superstitious Red Sox fan I would probably say yes.

    Once again it’s time to marvel at the Chicago Cubs, whose allegiance to their now familiar blue pinstripes was cemented over decades of (mostly) horrible teams. Chicago is bizzaro uni world. Constant change while they were tearing up the National League, then they become the Yankees through the fallow years.

    I am a Red Sox fan and I say no. I love that there’s a set schedule. That’s how it should be across baseball. Alternate uniforms, City Connect or otherwise, are for weekends (Fri-Sun). I love that it’s now red/blue alternate on Fri, CC on home Saturday, white/grey traditional all other times. I’m not one of those “no alternate, only white/grey period,” purists. There are 162 games, and most alternates look good. I love our reds and our blues. But there should be some organized rhyme and reason to their use. Same for the CC. I actually don’t love those, but if they are to exist, they should be on a set schedule. I’m also not superstitious. The universe is random and meaningless, the fact that they have a good record with the CCs is a coincidence, it’s not a cause/effect.

    This superstitious crap is exactly one of the main reasons I was worried about CC from the start. The Giants also have a freakily good record in their cheap looking CC unis and a disturbing number of SF fans have started advocating wearing them fulltime. All it takes is a weird anomaly like this and then we’re stuck with freakshow uniforms on one of the league’s most traditional franchises.

    In rep!y to the question about the Royals vs Brewers game in 1977…I thought that the Royals wore existing Milwaukee unis….just for the one game. So there wouldn’t have been a Brett or McRae or Herzog Brewer uniform out there. As for the Red Sox wearing CC on road with white pants….that wasn’t that unusual in the 70-80’s for road team to wear white pants.

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