Logos and Uniforms of The New York Yankees - Design and Appearance of Uniform

Design and Appearance of Uniform

Nick Swisher in the regular pinstriped home uniforms.

The team colors are midnight blue and white. The home uniform is white with distinctive pinstripes and a midnight blue interlocking "NY" at the chest. The away uniform is gray with "NEW YORK" written across the chest. The player number is on the back of the uniform jersey, and is not accompanied by the player name. A midnight blue cap with a white interlocking "NY" logo is worn with both uniforms.

In 1929, the New York Yankees became the first team to make numbers a permanent part of the uniform. Numbers were handed out based on the order in the lineup. In 1929, Earle Combs wore #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10. The team has never issued #0 or #00. When other teams began putting names on the backs of jerseys in the 1960s, the Yankees did not follow suit. Many companies have created replica Yankee jerseys and other apparel with the player name above the number on the back for fans to purchase, but no official Yankee uniform has ever had a name on the back. The Yankees are the only team in Major League Baseball that has never displayed the logo of the official uniform supplier, currently Majestic Athletic, on game jerseys or pants supplied to players, and are also the only team in Major League Baseball to shun the trend of creating a third "alternate" jersey.

The home uniform has been the same (apart from minor changes) since 1936 – longer than any current uniform design in Major League Baseball – although patches commemorating milestones or special events may be worn for all or part of a season. The team will occasionally wear a black armband on the left sleeve, usually in honor of a Yankee great that died (in the case of some players, his number is frequently sewn above the armband).

In 1990, the Yankees wore a #1 patch on their left sleeve in tribute to Billy Martin, who died in a car crash on Christmas Day of 1989. It was the first time the Yankees paid tribute to a retired legend by putting their jersey number on their left sleeve. They did the same for Mickey Mantle in 1995, Joe DiMaggio in 1999, and Phil Rizzuto in 2007.

For the 2008 season, the team wore a patch commemorating the 2008 All-Star Game, another commemorating the last season in Yankee Stadium, and a black armband to honor Bobby Murcer who died July 12, 2008 due to complication related to brain cancer.

In 2009, to commemorate the inaugural season at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees had an inaugural season patch on the left sleeve of the jersey.

Beginning in the 2010 season, the MLB logo on the back collar of their jerseys, will have gray behind the bat of the MLB logo, instead of the usual red, which was on the jersey since 2000, when all of the MLB teams started wearing the MLB logo on the back collar. Upon the deaths of owner George Steinbrenner and P.A. announcer Bob Sheppard, the Yankees sported two patches from July 16 until the end of the season; the left breast patch in memory of Steinbrenner, and a left shoulder patch in memory of Sheppard. The Yankees also added a black armband in memory of Ralph Houk upon his death on July 21.

Although the Yankees have worn the same road uniform since 1918 (with the exception of 1927 to 1930, when the arched "NEW YORK" was replaced by the word "YANKEES"), a radical change was proposed in 1974. Marty Appel, in his book Now Pitching for the Yankees, describes the proposed uniforms:

“

In 1974 I walked into (then-General Manager) Gabe Paul's office to find samples of new Yankee road uniforms draped across his sofa. They were the opposite of the home pinstripes — they were navy blue with white pinstripes. The NY logo was in white. Gabe liked them. I nearly fainted. Although the drab gray road uniforms were not exciting, with the plain NEW YORK across the chest, they were just as much the Yankees' look as were the home uniforms. I think my dramatic disdain helped saved (sic) the day and saved the Yankees from wearing those awful pajamas on the field.

”

The Yankees did, however, make some minor updates to the road uniforms that season, including adding striping patterns to the sleeves and a white outline to the jersey numbers and the "NEW YORK" arch. This has remained since.