SAN FRANCISCO — On Monday night, the Giants got a short debut from Blake Snell and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They botched a rundown, allowed four total stolen bases and watched as seemingly every Washington National who reached went first-to-third.
“It was not a good look yesterday,” manager Bob Melvin said a day later.
It will be a different look on Tuesday, at least for fans used to seeing the Giants put on their bright City Connect jerseys when they have Tuesday night home games. The City Connects have not arrived yet, and the Giants said they won't be able to wear them until Tuesday, May 14.
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"(Uniforms) for this season were manufactured and distributed to Clubs with prioritization given to the primary home and road uniforms," the Giants said in a statement.
This is the latest in a long series of embarrassing moments for Fanatics, MLB's apparel partner. Many of the new jerseys have proven to be somewhat transparent, with tiny lettering on the back. Last week, the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers revealed that their City Connect jerseys also had not arrived in time. A Fanatics spokesperson later told the Houston Chronicle that clubs were given shipping windows and "asked to prioritize their on-field uniform needs to be delivered on specific dates between March 18 and mid-May."
The Giants started wearing the City Connects in 2021, and they have drawn mixed reviews from players and fans. They have been a very popular item in the team store, though, and there's no denying the success on the field.
Through the end of last season, the Giants are 26-10 in their City Connect jerseys. They have a plus-53 run differential in those 36 games. It's an eye-popping record when you compare it to the overall mark the last two years, but a very serious investigation by NBC Sports Bay Area last season hit on two key reasons for the success.
San Francisco Giants
Logan Webb has started a disproportionate number of the City Connect games, and the Giants also got off to a great start in the creamsicles because they wore them for much of a 107-win season.
"We started wearing them in 2021," Brandon Crawford pointed out last April after Blake Sabol hit a walk-off in the jersey. "We didn't lose a lot that year. We didn't lose in our creams a whole lot, or our orange jerseys, or the black, or the grays … that's probably the reason."
The Giants will likely be without the City Connect jerseys for just two Tuesday home games, although there might be another change this season. Teams are now limited to four jerseys, plus one specialty one. The Giants chose their home and road jerseys, plus their traditional orange ones for Orange Fridays and black ones for Saturdays. They are unlikely to wear their Gigantes jersey this season since the City Connect one was their fifth and extra choice.