Why is the baseball away jersey always in grey color? Read to find out why.
Boston had the Red Sox and Bean Eaters who became the Braves, New York had the Giants and Yankees, Philadelphia had the Athletics and the Phillies, Chicago the Cubs and White Sox, St Louis the Browns and Cardinals; the list is a lot longer than one may imagine.
It’s partly tradition. Sure, you want them to wear different uniforms, so you can tell them apart. But why white and gray?
Earlier, the road couldn’t wash the uniforms while being on the road. So grey color was a great way to conceal the unwanted looks of the uniform.
A team playing in its own park could simply have the city name but on the road, fans might not know which team was visiting. The numbers were added late in the evolution of the games while names were added after expansion and free agency when it became harder for casual fans and TV to identify players.
They also put the mascot name on the chest of the home Jason Heyward jerseys or any other player’s jerseys, and the town name on the road jerseys. There are exceptions to both the color and the mascot/town rules, but they’re where the modern uniforms came from.
The point is that tradition in baseball is mostly limited to the unwritten rules these days. The rest is all subject to changes in market conditions, and the perception by executives that they know a better way. Enjoy the grey
