They’re from “The Lou,” and they’re proud.
This morning, the St. Louis Cardinals became the 26th team to unveil their new Nike MLB City Connect uniform, doing so with the help of Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Nelly, a St. Louis native.
It’s the first time in franchise history that the Cardinals will don a red jersey for regular season play. The vibrant red jersey includes a modern take on the team’s iconic “Birds on the Bat” logo, of course with chain-stitched lettering, but now reading “The Lou,” a nickname for St. Louis popularized by the aforementioned Nelly and his hit song Country Grammar.
“We brought something new to The Lou,” narrated Nelly during the Cardinals City Connect unveil video. “Rich in tradition and immersed in Cardinals red. Representing the ‘314’ with a fresh look. Threads for those who are St. Louis Material. Doesn’t matter if you started here or just arrived. When you’re part of Cardinals Nation, you’re from here. So say it loud, ‘I’m from The Lou, and I’m proud.’”
SHOP: St. Louis Cardinals new “The Lou” City Connect caps, jerseys, and more are available right here, right now!
The red cap revives a Cardinals font from over a century ago. It features “STL” in white lettering trimmed in navy blue, borrowing its style from the team’s 1920-21 jerseys. The inside of the cap has a plain black sweatband and undervisor.
Moving back to the jersey, the sleeve patch combines two of St. Louis’ most enduring symbols: a fleur-de-lis and the Gateway Arch. The fleur-de-lis is shown in yellow, with STL across it in red, using the same typeface as the cap logo. Behind that is the Gateway Arch in navy blue with white trim, all placed within a red circle.
LINK: St. Louis Cardinals logo and uniform history
“The St. Louis Cardinals jersey is one of the most iconic in all of sports and we are proud to introduce our new City Connect uniform to build on that legacy,” said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III in the press release. “A great deal of thought went into the design, and I believe our fans will appreciate the many uniform elements that were inspired by the organization’s 140-plus years in St. Louis.”
Subtly added to the base of the jersey is a series of river-themed pinstripes symbolizing St. Louis’ role as a river city at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. This marks the first use of pinstripes on a Cardinals uniform since 1929. A single, thicker river stripe is worn at the cuff of the sleeve. This river striping is also used as the single red stripe down the side of the white pants.
The inside collar of the jersey is marked with “1882,” commemorating the franchise’s founding year through the American Association’s St. Louis Brown Stockings.
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River pinstripes down the entire jersey -
White sleeve stripe and subtle river cuff -
‘1882’ logo inside the back collar
The Cardinals will début their City Connect uniforms this Friday, May 25, against the Chicago Cubs. Following this début, the team will wear the new uniforms for an additional 11 home games throughout the 2024 season. Here’s the entire schedule.
CARDINALS 2024 CITY CONNECT UNIFORM SCHEDULE
Friday, May 25 vs. Chicago Cubs
Friday, June 7 vs. Colorado Rockies
Sunday, June 23 vs. San Francisco Giants
Friday, June 28 vs. Cincinnati Reds
Tuesday, July 9 vs. Kansas City Royals
Friday, July 12 vs. Chicago Cubs
Sunday, July 28 vs. Washington Nationals
Wednesday, August 7 vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Friday, August 16 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Saturday, August 17 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Sunday, September 8 vs. Seattle Mariners
Friday, September 20 vs. Cleveland Guardians
A reminder that the game on August 7 vs. Tampa Bay will be a City Connect vs. City Connect uniform game, as we learned back when the Rays unveiled their City Connect uniform earlier this month.
Fans looking to get their hands on the new St Louis Cardinals City Connect merchandise can do so at Busch Stadium through Friday, May 25, or online at MLBShop right here.
To celebrate the launch, the Cardinals will host two City Connect launch parties outside Busch Stadium at Ballpark Village. Today, Metro Boomin and other local DJs will perform at the Together Credit Union Plaza. A pregame celebration before their on-field debut on Friday, May 25, will feature music, interactive entertainment, and prize giveaways.
St. Louis is the 6th of 9 teams scheduled to unveil a new City Connect uniform during the 2024 Major League Baseball season. Following unveilings by the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Guardians. Still to come: the Los Angeles Dodgers (their second City Connect, date TBA), the Minnesota Twins coming on June 10, and the Toronto Blue Jays next Thursday.
SHOP: St. Louis Cardinals new “The Lou” City Connect caps, jerseys, and more are available right here, right now!
