“If you know New York, you know.”
That’s the idea behind the New York Mets‘ brand new Nike MLB City Connect uniform, which the club unveiled this morning. The Mets are the second of nine teams scheduled to do so during the 2024 season. They’ll debut April 27 and then be worn nine more times, all on Saturday afternoons.
It’s a concrete grey base with subway-line-inspired pinstripes. Traces of purple are throughout. The Queensboro Bridge spans the front of the cap, and a large “NYC” is across the chest.
The grey jersey is based on the idea of New York as the “concrete jungle,” with a concrete style pattern within, “the strength and grit that is the foundation of NYC,” says the release from the club, calling it not only the “fabric of New York,” but also the “fabric of our uniform.”
SHOP: New York Mets new 2024 City Connect jerseys, caps, and more
Black pinstripes run down the jersey; a closer look reveals these stripes are made up of small circle and diamond shapes, a nod to the circle and diamond lines on the New York City subway system. There are plenty of subway themes woven throughout the design. The sleeve patch is based on the old subway tokens. The purple trim on the sleeves, the patch, and the Nike Swoosh reference the purple 7-train that takes fans to CitiField. Another way fans get to the game is by taking the Queensboro Bridge, the trusses of which are on the sleeve striping of the jersey.
The Queensboro Bridge and the subway system are also the main stars of the cap. It is a black cap with the Mets’ usual “NY” logo on the crown in black and white. The Bridge spans from the cap’s left to the right, carrying fans from ear to ear. On the inside sweatband of the cap is a map of the NYC subway system with its multi-coloured lines. The undervisor replicates the concrete pattern from the jersey.
LINK: New York Mets complete all-time logo and uniform history
Arched across the jersey’s chest in the Mets’ road jersey typeface style is an “NYC” in black with white trim. “In bold, black lettering, using our classic road jersey font,” says the release, “we stand as tall as our skyline.” The jock tag reads “The World’s City” in purple.
Here’s a surprise: the pants aren’t concrete grey or even black. In a relatively rare move for a City Connect uniform, the Mets will wear good old-fashioned white pants with this set. Down the side of the pants is a single thick stripe using the same Queensboro Bridge pattern that we see on the sleeve trim.
My thoughts? If we’re going to do purple, let’s go purple. Like the Washington Nationals and their only-a-hint-of-pink cherry blossom uniforms, the Mets have chosen to instead go all in concrete grey. This pairing of dark grey and bright purple certainly helps that purple pop a lot more, but I do wish there was more of it — the lettering across the chest and the cap (aside from the button) both ignore the purple altogether, as do the pinstripes.
The New York Mets will wear their City Connect uniform for the first time next weekend. The debut will be on Saturday, April 27, at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. Fans can purchase the New York Mets’ brand-new City Connect caps, jerseys, and other merchandise right now.
NEW YORK METS 2024 CITY CONNECT UNIFORM SCHEDULE
April 27 vs St Louis
May 11 vs Atlanta
May 25 vs San Francisco
June 15 vs San Diego
June 29 vs Houston
July 13 vs Colorado
July 27 vs Atlanta
August 17 vs Miami
September 7 vs Cincinnati
September 21 vs Philadelphia
New York follows the Philadelphia Phillies as the only two teams to drop their new City Connect sets so far this season. Seven more will follow: the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays. The Nike MLB City Connect series was launched in 2021 as a way for teams to step outside their comfort zones and try something new while also paying tribute to the city or region they call home. Thus far, we’ve seen some previously unimaginable team-colour pairings, such as the Boston Red Sox in yellow, the Colorado Rockies wearing green, or the San Diego Padres in pink and teal.
SHOP: New York Mets new 2024 City Connect jerseys, caps, and more
