Detroit Tigers Get Their Motor Runnin’, Unveil City Connect Uniform

The Detroit Tigers today joined the Nike Cool Kids Club™ with the official unveiling of their new City Connect uniform, the 24th of the 30 Major League Baseball teams to release one thus far.

As expected, the uniform leans into Detroit’s “Motor City” heritage and its ties to the automobile industry. We’ve seen other Nike-outfitted teams from Detroit trot out this link before, with the NBA’s Pistons wearing “MOTOR CITY” uniforms several times as part of their ~~City Connect~~ City Edition series.

The Tigers don’t deviate too far from their usual colour palette (orange is missing, however), as we have seen with many other City Connect uniforms in the past. The uniform is mostly midnight navy blue, the club’s primary colour since *checks notes* 1905?! A lighter royal blue is also worked into the look, which hasn’t been worn on a Tigers uniform before but was featured on the team’s classic roarin’ tiger head primary logo for several decades in the later part of the 20th Century.

“We are excited to introduce the Tigers City Connect uniforms and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Motor City,” said Ryan Gustafson, President and CEO, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment in the press release. “The City Connect uniforms represent Detroit’s unique combination of muscle and innovation and pay homage to the city that put the world on wheels. From the tire treads to the VIN tag to the M-1 patch on the sleeve, there are unique features on the uniforms, caps, and batting helmets we feel Tigers fans and Detroiters will appreciate. Above all, the uniforms are symbolic of the revitalization and exciting future ahead for the Tigers and our great city.”

SHOP: Detroit Tigers brand new City Connect caps, jerseys, and more!

The ballcaps are that same shade of dark, almost black navy blue, with DETROIT in white italics across the front. On the right side of the cap is a series of numbers presented in the style of a car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It reads DET190135456884 — Tigers fans shouldn’t require an explanation for the importance of the numbers in there, but for those who don’t follow the tabbies, it’s a series of years starting with 1901 – the year the Tigers were founded and followed by ’35, ’45, ’68, and ’84 the four seasons in which they won the World Series. The undervisor of the cap is royal blue with a sublimated tiger head graphic.

On the navy and royal jersey, we see tire tracks as the base behind MOTOR CITY across the front in the same style typeface as the cap. That VIN tag from the cap is replicated in the back inside collar, the jock tag has the tiger eyes from that cap logo. The sleeves have royal blue tire tape as stripes and a white diamond patch that reads 313 with the Tigers’ D logo above it. This is a nod to both the M-1 as well as Detroit’s area code. The M-1, also known as Woodward Avenue, was the first paved road in the United States and is the same street that Comerica Park is now on.

Pants, per usual in this series, are dark navy blue to match the jersey. The tire tape striping goes down the side of each pant leg.

Finally, the socks help complete the look, with a navy blue base complimented by royal blue striping and that same tiger head logo from the undervisor of the cap.

While missing from the photos I saw, the press release does describe the batting helmets as being “electric blue” with a matte finish, and “a similar gradient design seen on the jersey.” They also noted that the logo across the helmet is the same DETROIT logo and they even included the VIN tag from the cap on the right side.

The new Detroit Tigers City Connect uniform will make its on-field debut this Friday night when the Tigers host the Houston Astros. After that, the Tigers will wear the uniform for every Friday night home game for the rest of the season. It will be the first time the Tigers have regularly worn a uniform other than their home whites or road greys over the course of a season.

DETROIT TIGERS 2024 CITY CONNECT UNIFORM SCHEDULE

May 10 vs Houston Astros
May 24 vs Toronto Blue Jays
June 7 vs Milwaukee Brewers
June 21 vs Chicago White Sox
July 12 vs Los Angeles Dodgers
July 26 vs Minnesota Twins
August 2 vs Kansas City Royals
August 16 vs New York Yankees
August 30 vs Boston Red Sox
September 13 vs Baltimore Orioles
September 27 vs Chicago White Sox

The Tigers are the fourth of nine MLB teams scheduled to unveil a new City Connect uniform this season, following releases by the Phillies, Mets, and Rays. Coming up, we’ve still got the Blue Jays, Cardinals, Dodgers, Guardians, and Twins to look forward to, with all of the uniforms set to be released in the next month and a half. The City Connect series was announced by both Nike and Major League Baseball at the onset of the 2021 season as a way for teams to tell the stories of their communities and fans without necessarily being beholden to the traditional looks of their respective franchises.