Baseball Uniforms

By Eric Geier

Since the organization of major league baseball, uniforms have been a way to identify teams and to make a fashion statement at the same time. The first team to adopt professional jerseys was the New York Knickerbockers baseball club.  The uniform was complete with a straw hat to protect their eyes from the sun. From the mid to late 1800s most baseball jerseys had collars, which were considered proper at the time. Most of these early jerseys are in the hands of private collectors or in Cooperstown, in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1906, the first collarless jerseys were introduced by the New York Giants baseball club. Though jerseys helped fans identify their team members, there was still some confusion on who was playing which position. Fans in the upper deck especially had a hard time seeing which player was playing which position. To fix this problem, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians started having their players pick numbers to put on the back of the uniform so people knew exactly who was playing which position on the field. Later, in 1960, the Chicago White Sox became the first baseball club to put the player’s last name on the back of the jersey. If you ever see someone offering a pre-1960 jersey, claiming it is authentic and it has the name of the player on the back, you will know that it is a knock-off. Traditionally, teams have two jerseys: Their “whites” which are the home jerseys and their “color” jerseys for away games. In 1972, the Oakland Athletics introduced the third jersey. These were alternate jerseys that could be used at home or away games or for special occasion games. Since their introduction, most of the Major League Baseball teams have added or experimented with a third jersey. Some teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are very rich in tradition and may never adopt a third jersey.

Jerseys are made in a variety of places, but most professional jerseys are made in the United States. A lot of the knock-off or screen-printed jerseys are made overseas where labor is cheap for producing vast quantities of jerseys for fans around the world. Professional jerseys are usually made from wool-flannel and have been made out of this material for years even though it is probably not the most breathable material they could use. Typically, the jerseys are hand sewn in an assembly line, with lettering and numbers sewn onto the jersey after sleeves are added.

In the memorabilia game, baseball jerseys are some of the most valuable and sought-after pieces of merchandise. In 1999, someone paid the most ever for a Major League Baseball uniform. The uniform was worn by Lou Gehrig when he made his infamous farewell speech to the home crowd in Yankee Stadium. The jersey was bought for $451,452.

Did you mean, Redd Sox, Yankeees, Clevaland Indians, Garig or Gehrigg?