The San Francisco Giants have officially retired their City Connect (CC) uniforms after four seasons, marking the end of a somewhat controversial chapter in the team’s on-field apparel history. Introduced in 2021 as part of MLB’s “City Connect” program, these uniforms, designed to celebrate the unique essence of each team’s hometown, aimed to capture the spirit of San Francisco. However, the Giants’ iteration faced a mixed reception, primarily due to design choices that hindered on-field functionality.
The MLB City Connect program, launched in 2021, initially aimed to outfit all 30 teams with special edition uniforms over three seasons, with subsequent new editions every three years. While the rollout faced delays, 28 teams eventually received their City Connect jerseys. Notably, the New York Yankees opted out, and the Oakland Athletics, due to their impending relocation, were not included in the program. Interestingly, in 2024, only the LA Dodgers received a new City Connect uniform, while the initial seven teams from 2021, including the Giants, continued wearing their original designs.
When the San Francisco Giants Baseball Uniforms for the City Connect series were revealed, they were met with considerable criticism. Uniform experts and fans alike often ranked them poorly. In a comprehensive ranking of the 2021 City Connect uniforms, they were placed last, a position largely attributed to significant issues with number legibility. This negative perception persisted in later rankings encompassing all released City Connect uniforms, where the Giants again found themselves near the bottom, at No. 26 out of 29. The primary culprit for these low rankings remained the same: the difficulty in reading player numbers during games.
The core concept behind the San Francisco Giants City Connect uniforms was to represent San Francisco’s iconic fog. Designers incorporated gradients on the numbers and chest logo to evoke the marine layer that frequently blankets the city. Despite the creative inspiration, the execution fell short. By attempting to visually represent fog enveloping the numbers, the design inadvertently made them difficult to read. This directly undermined a baseball uniform’s fundamental purpose: to clearly identify players on the field. A simple remedy, such as outlining the lower portion of the numbers in orange, could have drastically improved legibility and potentially altered the uniform’s reception.
For fans of the San Francisco Giants baseball uniforms, the retirement of the City Connect edition might be met with mixed emotions. Statistically, the team performed well while wearing these uniforms, achieving a 30-16 record across 46 games over four seasons. However, their performance in the 2024 season while sporting the CC jerseys was less stellar, with only 4 wins in 10 games. This recent downturn might soften the blow of their discontinuation for some fans.
Like many teams, the Giants had a designated day for wearing their City Connect uniforms, choosing Tuesday home games for the special attire. With their last Tuesday home game concluded, so too concluded the lifespan of this particular uniform.
While opinions among Giants personnel varied, team manager Bob Melvin acknowledged the divisive nature of City Connect uniforms in general. However, he also pointed to the team’s positive win record while wearing them, jokingly suggesting a correlation between uniform and performance. “Most of the city connects, I find, are a little unique wherever I’ve been,” Melvin commented. “But I think the winning percentage has been pretty good in it, right? So there’s always that risk.”
Looking ahead, the San Francisco Giants are set to receive new City Connect uniforms in 2025. It is anticipated that several of the original seven teams from the 2021 City Connect launch, including the Miami Marlins who are also retiring their current CC uniforms, will be getting updated designs for the upcoming season. As more announcements are expected from MLB, fans and uniform enthusiasts are keen to see the next iterations of these city-inspired baseball uniforms.
