The Baltimore Orioles bucked tradition last night, but for a good reason. Typically (but not always), when a baseball team puts the name of their city on their jerseys, it’s on their road uniforms. The Orioles’ home uniforms normally feature the nickname “Orioles” in script across the chest, but in their first home game since April 29—the game in which fans were barred from attending because of unrest in the city—the Orioles’ home whites featured the name of their city.
The Birds are back in Baltimore. #Birdland #VoteOrange pic.twitter.com/P5fANgCkFe
— Baltimore Orioles 😷 (@Orioles) May 12, 2015
The Orioles had not played at Camden Yards for almost two weeks before last night. Violence related to protests over the death of Freddie Gray caused Major League Baseball to cancel two games against the White Sox in Baltimore and relocate an entire series against the Rays to Tampa Bay. The team wore the Baltimore jerseys as a show of pride after a difficult period in the city’s history.
We love our fans. #Birdland pic.twitter.com/59KXfUn7Gh
— Baltimore Orioles 😷 (@Orioles) May 11, 2015
Last night, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays 5-2 in front of about 20,000 fans.
Meanwhile in white #Baltimore… classy @Orioles fans..classy. @Deadspin #Whiteprivilegeisreal #Birdland #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/mNHgE8XbPD
— J. M. Giordano photo (@jmgpix) May 12, 2015
Of course, people being who they are, several fans’ attempts at humor left many shaking their heads. These two guys prominently seated behind the first-base dugout held signs parodying the slogans “All Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace,” causing something of a stir on social media.
It seems that the alternate unis were a one-time occurrence, as the O’s were back in their traditional uniforms for tonight’s game. There’s no word yet on whether the Baltimore home-white jerseys will be auctioned or otherwise made available. Given the almost universally positive reaction, if they do become available, they’d likely be a popular sales item.
