CLEVELAND — "We always rep the CLE."
Those were the words of rapper and Cleveland native Kid Cudi in a special video unveiling the Guardians' special City Connect uniforms. The team finally made the long-awaited designs public Sunday evening, joining a trend that has become the norm across baseball since Nike took over manufacturing of the league's uniforms in 2021.
Heavily inspired by the famed "Guardians of Traffic" at the Hope Memorial Bridge outside Progressive Field, the navy blue uniforms feature the letters "CLE" emblazoned across the chest in an Art Deco-like font with a cream color meant to invoke Berea Sandstone. Red, white, and blue stripes make their way down the sides of the uniforms and pants, while the socks sporting images of the statues along with "EST. 1901," marking the first year of the ballclub's existence.
A red, white, and blue cap emblazoned with the "Diamond C" completes the ensemble. The team also unveiled what appears to be a new alternate logo spotlighting one of the "Guardians" gripping a baseball bat.
Apart from the name change from Indians to Guardians (where the uniform designs remained mostly the same), the City Connects mark the most radical uniform change for Cleveland in at least two decades. Per MLB rules, teams are allowed to wear four uniforms plus their City Connects, so this iteration will join the Guards' home whites, gray road primaries, red home alternates, and blue road alternates.
According to MLB.com's Mandy Bell, the Guardians will wear the City Connects during every Friday home game, beginning this week against the Minnesota Twins. The club can also wear them for other games, should the players wish to do so.
To celebrate the new uniforms, the Guardians will be offering several City Connect promotions throughout the season:
- May 17: City Connect-inspired free shirt (first 10,000 fans)
- May 18: José Ramírez City Connect bobblehead (12,500)
- June 19: City Connect tote bag (10,000)
- July 25: City Connect beach towel (10,000)
- Aug. 14: City Connect belt bag (10,000)
- Aug. 24: City Connect flag (15,000)
One more thing: Fans will be able to buy their own City Connect gear from the Guardians Team Shop starting at 10 a.m. Monday.