Oakland Gets New Jersey, Ditches One-of-the Oldest Alternates in Sports

The Oakland A’s will have a new green alternate jersey for the 2014 season, the new uniform will replace the green alternate the team had been using prior to this season.

Like the Kansas City Royals earlier this off-season, this marks an end to one of the oldest alternate uniforms used in professional sports (Chicago’s black alternates have been around since 1991). The Oakland A’s introduced their green alternate jersey for the 1994 season only changing a sleeve patch and adding a number to the front in the 20 seasons since it made it’s debut.

In addition to being around for the past 20 seasons, the A’s wore their green jersey more than anything else during the 2013 season taking to the field in it 81(!) times with a record of 44-37 in the process. It was, however, their least successful jersey out of all the ones worn for home games, the A’s went 18-14 in green at home compared to 19-9 in white and 16-8 in yellow.

Gone: The A's are getting rid of this green alternate jersey which the team has worn since 1994, above is Mark McGwire wearing the uniform in its first season of use — Gone: The A’s are getting rid of this green alternate jersey which the team has worn since 1994, above is Mark McGwire wearing the uniform in its first season of use

The new A’s jersey, also just like the Royals (I know the A’s used to play in Kansas City, but, c’mon now), maintains the colour of the original alternate but replaces the nickname script across the jersey with the cap logo in the upper left of the chest, piping runs down the front of the jersey along either side of the buttons, around the back collar and also at the cuff of each sleeve. It’s basically a green version of their existing gold alternate (which remains, by the way)