Uni-Firsts for Shirt Design, Colors & Fabrics

Threads Of Our Game not only documents the early game, but also determines when new uniform styles and trends came into being. The following is a list of “Uni-Firsts” for baseball shirt design, colors & fabric as we see it, after the year 1865:

—First visual of rolled sleeves and exposed arms: 1865 Empire, New York

—First visual of a player with a shirt bib partially unbuttoned: 1868 Union, Lansingburgh NY

—First visual of a team wearing a collarless shirt: 1869 Maple Leaf, Guelph ON

—First visual of players wearing medals on shirt: 1869 Cincinnati, see photos of team

—First visual of a uniform with detachable sleeves: 1870 Union, Morrisania NY

—First documented professional league team to wear short-sleeved shirts: 1871 Olympic, Washington DC

—First documented non-collegiate team to wear a gray uniform: 1874 Flyaway, New York

—First National League team to wear a gray uniform: 1877 Louisville

—First visual of a necktie tucked into a shirt opening: 1877 Chicago

—First documented to wear a memorial ribbon, patch or arm band: 1877 Tecumseh, London ON – see written documentation

—First visual of a team wearing truncated neckties: 1879 Chicago, 1879 Cleveland

—First professional team described to wear checked shirt: 1879 Cleveland

—First professional league team described to wear dark blue shirt and pants: 1880 Chicago

—First professional league team described to wear lavender shirt and pants: 1881 Buffalo, 1881 Chicago

—First professional team to wear a shirt with vertical stripes: Many in 1882

—First to wear varying shirt colors to denote positions in field: Many in 1882

—First documented use of lace ties on a shirt: Many in 1882

—First professional league uniform to include a shirt pocket: 1882 Providence

—First professional team to wear a polka-dot shirt: 1882 Metropolitan, New York

—First team documented to tie their shirt laces in a horizontal line pattern: 1883 St. Louis

—First professional team described to wear an “old gold”-colored shirt: 1883 Toledo

—First professional team to wear a red shirt: 1884 Allegheny, Pittsburgh

—First team photographed wearing a pinstriped shirt: 1885 Baltimore

—First team photographed wearing a colored undershirt: 1885 Brooklyn

—First team documented to tie their shirt laces in a diamond pattern: 1885 Atlanta – see white uniform

—First to wear “old-gold”-colored shirt and pants: 1885 Nashville

—First team photo with players wearing shirts unbuttoned at collar: 1886 Rochester

—First photo of player wearing his collar turned up: 1887 Indianapolis – see photo B

—First photo of player wearing cut-off sleeves: 1887 Philadelphia (NL) – see photo I

—First professional team visually documented (in an illustration) wearing a shirt with thin (Yankee-style) pinstripes: 1887 Brooklyn

—First team to wear a all-black uniform, black shirt and black pants: 1888 New York

—First team with a contrasting colored shirt collar: 1888 Chicago (WA), 1888 New York, 1888 St. Louis (AA)

—First team with a contrasting colored and pinstriped shirt collar: 1888 Athletic, Philadelphia, 1888 Cincinnati

—First professional team visually documented (in a photograph) wearing Yankee-style pinstriped shirts: 1888 Detroit, 1888 Washington DC, 1888 Scranton

—First photo of a team wearing a shirt pocket that featured an angled opening: 1889 Detroit

—First documented to wear a turtleneck sweater under their shirt and on top of the uniform collar: 1892 Boston – see photo A, 1892 Cleveland – see photo C and 1892 Philadelphia – see photo A

—First to wear a ribbon as advertisement for a product: 1894 Milwaukee – see written documentation

—First known photo of a player wearing a necklace: 1894 Scranton PA

—First documented to wear a shirt with sleeves colored differently than the body: 1894 Washington DC

—First documented to wear a shirt that buttons fully down the front, not a pullover: 1894 Washington DC

—First where majority of players were photographed wearing their shirts unbuttoned at the neck: 1896 Toledo

—Learn about the history of baseball shirt design at the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum website: Dressed To The Nines – Jerseys

—Learn about the history of memorial armbands at the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum website: Dressed To The Nines – Patches & Armbands

—Learn about the history of uniform numbers at the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum website: Dressed To The Nines – Numbers & Names