New York Mets to Wear BFBS for NLCS Game 3 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Good morning, Uni Watchers. And a Happy Humpday to all.

ICYMI, I had a couple of late(r) articles yesterday, which you may not have seen: with the Packers debuting their new white helmets on Sunday, I took a look at all the throwbacks, fauxbacks and alternates the Pack have worn. Also, in better NFL news, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their first Super Bowl win (SB IX) and will wear throwbacks, complete with gray facemasks on their helmets, when they play the Jets this Sunday night.

Now then.

The New York Mets, who have been on an incredible run through the second half of the season and which has carried through their first two playoff series, have announced they will wear their BFBS jerseys for Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers tonight. The decision to stray from wearing their blue pinstripes — in which they are undefeated this post season — was made by starting pitcher Luis Severino.

The Mets will wear their black uniforms tomorrow in Game 3 of the NLCS, according to Luis Severino, who as the starting pitcher got to pick.

“I like black,” he said.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) October 15, 2024

As some of you know, the Mets BFBS uniforms (well, technically just a jersey and cap) have a special place in the annals of Uni Watch. Those uniforms were actually the genesis for Paul’s first ever “Uni Watch” article (which ran in the Village Voice in 1999):

I won’t go into the history of the black cap and jersey, but it was first introduced in 1998, and then supercharged in 1999, when the team added a black cap and road black jersey, and a lot of black block shadow to their other uniforms. Many consider this period the nadir of the Mets uniform history, and the BFBS stuck around far past its expiration date, lasting for fourteen years, until the black jerseys were finally retired following the 2012 season.

Fortunately — or unfortunately — the Mets as a team saw great on-field success after the black jerseys were introduced, reaching the NLCS (losing to the Braves) in 1999, and making the World Series in 2000 (losing to the Yankees). For fans AND players of a certain age, the black caps and jerseys in those years were new and fresh and represented a successful team on the rise. For years, the black jerseys were the most popular items in the team store. Even after the team ditched the black after 2012, I still saw many a New Yorker wearing the black cap or black jersey (sometimes as a fashion item, other times in support of the team). Even in the mid-2010’s, after the jerseys had been retired, I’d still see plenty of fans at Shea CitiField wearing a black jersey or cap (and oftentimes both).

Clearly they made an impression on Steve Cohen, the Mets billionaire owner, who purchased the team from the Wilpons in November of 2020. Shortly after he became the Mets owner, Cohen had this to say:

There’s lots of discussion on these black jerseys. Seems like there are people who are fervent who want it, and then people who actually don’t want it. I think it’s probably more that people want it than don’t want it. I haven’t talked to the players about it. I want to make sure they would be into that. And maybe we do it on a night every once in a while or something, just to shake it up.

They certainly made an impression on 1B Pete Alonso, who became an instant hit with Mets fans in his rookie season of 2019, when he set the rookie record for most home runs in a season. Alonso was born in Tampa, and played college baseball for the Florida Gators, but he grew up a big fan of the BFBS the Mets sported. Born in 1994, Alonso’s formative years coincided with the Mets wearing black jerseys and caps. When Steve Cohen was thinking about bringing back the black jerseys, Alonso was one of the biggest proponents.

In 2021, the Mets officially returned to wearing the black jerseys — but on a limited basis. Because they had not given official notice of an alternate jersey change to MLB in time to wear them for a full season, they were given a “limited use” status, meaning they could be worn up to five times in 2021. The team wore them for their final five Friday home games that year. The team would make them an official alternate in 2022, and the plan was to wear them for home Friday games going forward. In 2022, they pretty much stuck to that schedule.

Following the 2022 season, the Mets recorded 101 wins (the second highest win total ever in their history), but ended up as a Wild Card team that year. They would lose in their Wild Card series to the San Diego Padres, two games to one. One of those losses came in the pivotal game 1, and the game took place on a Friday. The team wore black jerseys in that loss.

The team kept the black jerseys and caps for the 2023 season, again wearing them almost exclusively for Friday home games. Things would change slightly this season, after Paul broke the news that the Mets had redesigned their black jersey and cap, making it even less legible. While the team continued to wear them for Friday home games, they broke that protocol on occasion, wearing them five times for mid-week games. Rather than sticking to their Friday-home-only schedule from previous seasons, the team allowed the starting pitcher the option to decide the home jersey for some games.

Tonight’s starter, Luis Severino, is rather fond of the black jersey, as well as the team’s new City Connect (which was worn for many, but not all, Saturday home games, as well as one Monday game). So it’s Severino’s decision to wear the BFBS uniforms tonight.

The Mets will wear their black uniforms for tomorrow’s NLCS Game 3 against the Dodgers, Luis Severino tells @timbhealey pic.twitter.com/FNeHpGtFF1

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) October 15, 2024

The Mets do not have a long or deep playoff history. But they have worn black jerseys during that time. The two most recent were during the 2022 Wild Card Game 1, and the other was for Game 4 of the 2000 World Series.

Black uniforms are hanging in every locker at Citi Field for workout day today. The Mets will wear them tomorrow for NLCS Game 3.

(Correction: It’ll be the second time they’ve worn the blacks in the postseason since 2000 World Series Game 4. Also: 2022 Wild Card Series Game 1.)

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 15, 2024

The Mets lost both of those games.

Now, I’m not one for superstition, and I’ve never believed a jersey choice was responsible for a win or a loss. If you’ve been following Alex’ playoff tracker, you’ll recall that teams who wore colored jerseys (aka softball tops) were 0-4 in the Wild Card round, and 2-2 in the Divisional Series. The Guardians wore colored tops Monday night in the Bronx, and lost to the Yankees, so softball tops are 0-1 in the ALCS. Overall, softball tops are 2-7 in the 2024 playoffs.

So, the softball tops are thus far 2-7 in the 2024 playoffs. Clearly the uniform gods have meted out justice to those teams who have crossed them. I hope the Mets aren’t playing with fire. Again, I don’t believe the jersey choice equates to wins or losses, but I do know the records of those who’ve worn them. I hope Luis Severino and the Mets can buck the odds and win one in the black jerseys. When a seven-game series is tied at 1-1, the team winning game 3 goes on to win that series 66% of the time. In other words, whoever wins tonight will have a much greater chance of advancing to the World Series. If you’re a Mets fan, you better hope the Mets win in the black tops.

What do you think? Do you care whether a team wears an alternate in the playoffs? Do you believe the choice of jersey has any effect on the outcome? If your favorite team was winless wearing an alternate jersey, and teams who have worn alternate jerseys in the playoffs this year are 2-7 overall, would you be worried?

Discuss.