Back in black, I hit the sack. I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back…
The New York Mets this week announced they will indeed be glad to be back in black for the first time in ten seasons when they take the field on Friday, July 30th against the Cincinnati Reds. Following the July 30th game the Mets will wear black for each Friday home game the rest of the season.
First introduced in 1998 as an alternate uniform, the Mets quickly adopted black into their main home and road uniform sets — a black shadow was added to the team lettering and player numbers, black-crowned caps were frequently worn, an alternate version of the Mets familiar logo was released with the skyline now in black instead of its usual royal blue.
The Mets black-and-blue period lasted fourteen seasons in all, during which the team won a National League pennant, an NL East title, and made three trips to the postseason.
Five Hall of Famers would wear the black during their playing days though Mike Piazza is the only to play a majority of their career in the set. Others include Roberto Alomar, Tom Glavine, Rickey Henderson, and Pedro Martinez.
When first introduced Mets fans had mixed feelings on the incorporation of black though quick success following it be adopted faded many of those ill wills away. As with most “out there” changes to a team’s look, once they stopped seeing success, the fun wore off, and the Mets went in the opposite direction with an ultra-traditional rebrand (including a cream-coloured home uniform) in 2012. A generation has now passed since they were first introduced, therefore they’re in-style again, watch as we carry on with the infinite loop.
New York is scheduled to wear black five times in total this season, the full schedule below…
NEW YORK METS 2021 BLACK UNIFORM SCHEDULE
Friday, July 30, 2021 vs Cincinnati Reds
Friday, August 13, 2021 vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Friday, August 27, 2021 vs Washington Nationals
Friday, September 10, 2021 vs New York Yankees
Friday, September 17, 2021 vs Philadelphia Phillies
The black jerseys are not yet available for sale as this whole thing was cobbled together so quickly (good example of a team putting the preference of the on-field look ahead of retail sales?). They are asking fans interested in purchasing to fill out an inquiry form to let them know the potential demand in order to make shirts available, ideally, in time for the holidays.
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