Detroit has been known as the “automotive capital of the world” since Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903. More than a century later, the “Motor City” nickname is still going strong, and the Detroit Tigers are changing course to take advantage of that nickname with a new look.
The Tigers unveiled their City Connect uniform this week, capitalizing on the “exciting future” of the franchise and the city, while honoring Detroit’s rich automotive history.
The uniforms will debut on Friday and Saturday against the Houston Astros and will be worn during all Friday home games during the season.
“The City Connect uniforms represent Detroit’s unique combination of strength and innovation and pay tribute to the city that put the world on wheels,” Tigers President and CEO Ryan Gustafson said in a news release. “The uniforms are a symbol of the revitalization and exciting future that awaits the Tigers and our great city.”
It’s a design that focuses on an “era of excellence” as the Tigers drive their “forward thinking, building something special through technology, youthful energy and optimism.”
There are several elements of the electric blue and dark navy uniform that do exactly that. “Motor City” appears on the chest of the uniform for the first time in franchise history. The tiger eyes are on the belt line on the right side of the uniform and under the brim of the cap.
The jersey’s “beautiful” shade of electric blue is also no accident, Katie Jackson, the Tigers’ vice president of marketing, told ESPN. Detroit, and Michigan as a whole, are at the forefront of the electric vehicle renaissance, coinciding with the Tigers’ revitalization.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has set a goal of having 2 million electric vehicles in the state by 2030, emphasizing affordability.
“The electric blue, I mean, is really the innovation of what’s happening here in Detroit in the auto industry, the city itself and the team,” Jackson said.
The Tigers are also optimistic about their future, although their last playoff appearance was in 2014. Detroit has selected among the top five picks in the MLB draft in five of the last six years, including No. 1 overall picks Casey Mize in 2018 and Spencer. Torkelson in 2020.
The aforementioned hue appears on the tire treads that run down the center of the jersey and provide a pop of color. Racing stripes are included at the bottom of each sleeve and along the pants, “a nod to Detroit’s central role in the racing industry and a parallel to youthful speed and energy.”
One of the most unique elements of the design is a fake “vehicle identification number” that appears on the cap and uniform: 190135456884.
“1901” represents the Tigers’ inaugural season as charter members of the American League. Season ticket members are identified as “1901 Society Members.” The rest of the numbers (35, 45, 68 and 84) are the years Detroit won the World Series.
“Because we’re immersed in it every day, being in Detroit, the car is a priority… so when we think about what’s a unique element that’s distinctively car, I mean, that’s truly unique, Right?” Jackson said. “There’s a [VIN] for your car and that doesn’t exist anywhere else, so that concept was a little bit of that ‘aha’ moment of, like, how do we make this really unique to us?”
A baseball diamond-shaped patch with the numbers 313 is sewn on the side of the sleeve. It represents the Detroit area code with the more reflective numbers 3 and the 1 in bold.
The 1 is notable for representing M-1, a Michigan highway more commonly known to Detroiters as Woodward Avenue. In 1909, it became the first paved highway in the United States and runs 27 miles from south of Detroit to north of Pontiac. The home of the Tigers, Comerica Park, is located at 2100 Woodward Avenue.
“That [parche en la manga] “It worked really well to really be able to give a nod to those two things that are so special to people who are from here,” Jackson said.
The electric blue that ran through the uniform immediately caught the players’ attention. They reacted with amazement to the design, especially when seeing the specific elements.
“They really saw that each element was very thoughtful and really beautiful and something that they were super excited and proud to wear and they will certainly be proud to wear it on Friday as part of the debut,” Jackson said.
