LOS ANGELES —
These might not be for everyone.
“I like them,” Padres relief pitcher Nabil Crismatt said. “I don’t think these are for my dad.”
That is the idea with the pink, gold, green and white City Connect jerseys the Padres unveiled Friday morning and will wear for the first time on the field for their game July 8 against the Giants — and then every Friday home game for the rest of the season.
“We did a lot of work when we changed to the brown and gold uniform set (after the 2019 season) that we felt was what the fans were asking for,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said. “Now we felt, as it’s intended to be, this is an opportunity to go out of the box a bit and come up with something that can reach a young and diverse fan base.”
The Padres know there will be people vehement in their dislike of the City Connect uniforms. The team is also confident many people will enjoy the boldly colored jersey.
Primarily, the thinking is forward.
“There will be both current fans and those who will become fans of the team that will look at the uniforms and will love them,” Greupner said.
The City Connect program, a partnership between Nike and MLB that began last season, is intended to connect a team with the uniqueness of its region. The Padres’ City Connect uniforms are the result of more than 18 months of collaboration with Nike’s design team.
“We went pretty aggressively in the direction of celebrating our blend of cultures in San Diego between San Diego and Baja California,” Greupner said.
The colors, design and font are a nod to the coastal community and the artwork and architecture both north and south of the border. The pink and yellow are also meant to evoke the region’s spectacular sunsets, as well as San Diego’s surf and skate culture.
Padres players generally reviewed the uniforms positively while also acknowledging an unmistakable Miami Vice vibe. Some have already been wearing cleats designed to match the uniforms. Others will debut them July 8.
“Those are sick,” pitcher Mike Clevinger said. “I can’t wait.”
Replicas of the City Connect jerseys are on sale at the Padres team store and on the Nike.com and MLBshop.com websites.
“They look better on us,” second baseman Jake Cronenworth said. “Yeah, they look better on than just when you look at them.”