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Anthony Gharib, GAMES
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” moniker remains strong — and Detroit Tigers is taking steps to capitalize on that nickname with a new look.
The Tigers unveiled their City Connect uniforms on Monday, tapping into 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 Houston Astros and will be worn during every Friday home game throughout the season.
“City Connect uniforms represent Detroit’s unique combination of muscle and innovation,” Ryan Gustafson, Tigers president and CEO, said in a press release. homage to the city that put the world on wheels.” “The uniform is a symbol of the resurgence and exciting future ahead for the Tigers and our great city.”
It’s a design that focuses on an “era of excellence” when the Tigers promoted “forward thinking, building something special through technology, youthful energy and optimism”.
There are many elements of the electric blue and navy blue uniforms that do exactly that. “Motor City” appeared on the chest of the uniform for the first time in franchise history. The tiger’s eye is located on the right waistline of the uniform and below the brim of the hat.
Katie Jackson, the Tigers’ vice president of marketing, told ESPN that the jersey’s “beautiful” electric blue color is no coincidence either. Detroit and Michigan in general are at the forefront of an electric vehicle renaissance, coinciding with the Tigers’ resurgence.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has set a goal of having 2 million electric vehicles in the state by 2030, emphasizing accessibility.
“I mean, electric blue is really an innovation of what’s going on in Detroit across the auto industry, the city itself and the team,” Jackson said.
The Tigers are also optimistic about their future, even though their last playoff appearance was in 2014. Detroit has been selected as a top-five pick by MLB in five of the past six years, including No. 1 overall picks, too Casey Mize in 2018 and Spencer Torkelson in 2020.
The aforementioned colors are featured on the tread grooves that run down the middle of the jersey and provide a pop of color. Racing stripes are included on the bottom of each sleeve and down the pants, “a nod to Detroit’s central role in the racing industry and parallel to the speed and energy of youth.”
One of the more unique elements of the design is the fake “vehicle identification number” that appears on the hat and uniform — 190135456884.
“1901” represents the Tigers’ inaugural season as a founding member of the American League. Members who purchase season tickets identify themselves as “members of the 1901 society”. The remaining numbers – 35, 45, 68 and 84 – are the years Detroit won the World Series
“Because we’re immersed in it every day, in Detroit, like cars are the top thing… so when you think about what’s unique about cars obviously, I mean, that’s really unique, right? ” Jackson said. “This is one [VIN] for your car and it doesn’t exist anywhere else, and so that concept was like an ‘aha’ moment, like, how do we make this car really unique to we?”
A baseball diamond patch with the number 313 is sewn on the side of the sleeve. It represents the Detroit area code with the 3 being more reflective and the 1 being bold.
The prominent number 1 represents M-1, the Michigan highway commonly known to Detroiters as Woodward Avenue. In 1909, it became the first paved road in America and ran 27 miles from south of Detroit to north of Pontiac. The Tigers’ home field, Comerica Park, is located at 2100 Woodward Avenue.
“That thing [sleeve patch] It went really well to be able to really resonate with both of them which is very special for people from here,” Jackson said.
The electric blue on the uniform stands out immediately to the players. They react with wonder to the design, especially when seeing specific elements.
“They really found every detail of it to be very thoughtful, really beautiful and something that they were super excited and proud to wear and would certainly be proud to wear on Friday,” Jackson said. part of the launch.”
