History of the Baseball Uniform Jersey

Baseball jerseys have been an integral part of baseball team uniforms since the sport was officially organized back in 1845. Jersey styles have varied drastically over the years, sporting various sleeve lengths, a rainbow of colors and different types of fabric. Jerseys typically feature a player's number and last name on the back, helping fans figure out who is whom. Read on to learn more about the history of the baseball jersey.

  1. Early Uniforms

    • Major league baseball teams typically wore shield-front jerseys from the mid-1840s up until the 1870s. Most of the leading clubs wore jerseys that mimicked the look of volunteer fire department uniforms. The next jersey trend was the laced-front jersey, which featured wearing shirts that laced all the way up the front or featured lace just at the top part of the jersey. These laced-front jerseys were popular from the 1870s to the 1890s, but weren't seen again after 1910. Button-down jerseys were first spotted on the field in the 1850s, but the style didn't take off until around the turn of the 20th century.

    Sleeves

    • The first baseball uniforms consisted of full-length sleeves that buttoned in cuffs at the wrists. Sleeve lengths gradually shortened until most teams wore elbow-length sleeves in the 1930s. Detachable sleeves were popular during the first few decades of the 20th century. Buttons on the sleeve extensions attached to the button holes on the jersey. These detachable sleeves gave players their choice of sleeve length and eliminated the need for multiple jerseys.

    Fabrics

    • Early baseball jerseys were made purely out of wool, perhaps to distinguish the players from America's working class, who typically wore the cheaper cotton material. New inventions in the textile industry in the 1940s made it possible for players to begin wearing a cooler, lighter wool-and-cotton-blend jersey, which weighed about half of the original uniforms. After World War II, manufacturers began making jerseys out of the new man-made fabrics, such as Orlon, nylon and Darcon. In 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates wore the first jerseys made out of double-knit fabrics, which proved to be much cooler, lighter and more comfortable than jerseys of yesteryear. Synthetic double-knit jerseys are still used in major league baseball today.

    Collars

    • Teams around the turn of the 20th century typically wore fold-down collars on their jerseys. The New York Giants introduced the major leagues to collarless jerseys in 1906. The Giants started another jersey trend in 1908 with their V-neck collars with slight extensions, the style a compromise between the collarless jerseys and the military-style collars that were in fashion. The look was a hit, and most major league jerseys sported these collars in the 1920s. By the 1930s, the simple collarless jersey took over as professional baseball's standard look. With the exception of a brief flirtation with a faux full-collar jersey by the Chicago White Sox in the late 1970s, the last time a full-collared jersey was seen on a major league team was the 1913 Chicago Cubs.

    Pullover Jerseys

    • Pullover jerseys, which are baseball shirts without any buttons, laces or zippers, have been used sporadically since the beginning of professional baseball. The pullover look became a fad in 1970 when the Pittsburgh Pirates adopted this new style of jersey to go with their new stadium. The pullover jersey trend lasted until 1993, when the Cincinnati Reds were the last team seen wearing this style. Other major league teams had already returned to the old-fashioned, button-down jersey.

    Zippers

    • Although zippers were invented back in 1891, baseball uniform jerseys didn't take advantage of this handy fastener until the 1930s. The Chicago Cubs were the first major league team to switch from buttons to zippers, and the other teams soon followed their lead. The zipper fad reached its peak in the early 1940s when half of the teams sported zip-up jerseys. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) used zippers on their uniforms because it could easily cinch the uniform to fit the player's waist. The 1986 Philadelphia Phillies were the last big league players to wear a uniform featuring a zippered jersey.

    Vests

    • Philip K. Wrigley designed a bold new look for his team's baseball jerseys in 1940. The Chicago Cubs took the field that year wearing a lightweight flannel vest over a knitted undershirt. Wrigley had designed to vest to provide his player's with increased freedom of movement in their shoulders and arms. Although his beloved Chicago Cubs only wore this innovative style for three seasons, the vest still enjoys occasional revivals.