In recognition of those who made the ultimate sacrifice losing their lives in service to their country, Major League Baseball will mark Memorial Day in the United States this afternoon with each of the 26 teams playing today wearing commemorative patches on their caps and jerseys.
A departure from the usual Memorial Day style of uniforms in Major League Baseball. With military members and their families now recognized during Armed Forces Day weekend with the full camouflage look, the league turns to a more subtle and mournful style of uniform.
This year it’s a simple poppy patch with “Lest We Forget” across it, worn on the upper left part of the jersey. The cap patch will balance that out a bit with a stars-and-stripes clad MLB logo inside a circle reading Memorial Day.
So, why a poppy flower patch?
The origin of wearing a poppy to remember fallen soldiers can be traced back to the poppy flowers which were spotted growing over graves during the First World War, inspiring the famous “In Flanders Fields” poem. While its use is certainly less common in the United States, it’s been a common sight to see poppies on shirts and jackets in the United Kingdom and here in Canada during the first eleven days each November for decades. The American Legion in the U.S. asks those wishing to honour the war dead by wearing a poppy on National Poppy Day, the last Friday before Memorial Day.
Patches, jerseys, or caps used for Memorial Day will NOT be
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