With the Red Sox poised to make MLB Playoffs, the question of whether they can sport their much-discussed City Connect jerseys has finally been answered.
Boston fans may believe their team belongs in red, but Red Sox players have championed — and finally won — the battle to wear their City Connect jerseys in the MLB post-season.
The second-ranked AL East team sits only behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League, clearing a path to post-season success in October. And when they finally land a coveted playoff berth, they’ll be able to play in yellow and blue.
Boston Red Sox get the green light to wear colorful City Connect jerseys
While not every Red Sox fan is a fan of the new color way, the redesign represents a bold and rather patriotic choice for the city of Boston.
For those unfamiliar, yellow and blue are the primary colors for the city’s annual Boston Marathon, the biggest celebration during Boston’s Patriots’ Day holiday.
As thousands of runners span the streets of the city, a sea of yellow and blue can be seen during the mid-April event. To honor their city, the Red Sox chose the yellow and blue combination for their uniforms for the first time in team history.
ESPN’s Joon Lee ranked the Red Sox as the third-best uniform in the MLB’s City Connect campaign, a unique partnering with Nike that allows MLB teams to connect with their cities in a fresh redesign.
“We give high marks for boldness and the team’s desire to do something outside of the norm,” wrote Lee in August. “The City Connect series is not meant to appeal to everyone, and by going with something surprising and outside the box while receiving a relatively positive reception, the Red Sox are pushing forward the idea of what a baseball uniform can look like.”
Despite the mixed criticism, the jerseys and City Connect merchandise sold out at the Fenway Park store — a trend that could continue when the Red Sox sport them after their first playoff victory.