Blue Jays go 'Night Mode' for City Connect uniforms

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays are going Night Mode.

Toronto’s nightlife drove the design of their new City Connect uniforms, which was released on social media Thursday night just prior to a launch party on King St. West in downtown Toronto.

“The Blue Jays are at the core of the city and those who call Toronto home know how the city comes alive at night. Our new City Connect uniform aims to emulate that ‘Night Mode’ feeling in the vibrant colours, the rhythmic skyline reflecting off the lake, and all the distinct details that make our city so dynamic,” said Marnie Starkman, the Blue Jays’ executive vice president, business operations. “Toronto’s City Connect uniform breaks from our beloved lineup of traditional uniforms and introduces a bold new fashion statement that captures the rhythm, culture, vibe and spirit of the city.”

With a darker blue base, pops of a brighter blue and red outline the Toronto skyline across the chest. This is the first dark base to a Blue Jays jersey since 2011, the end of the line for the black jerseys, and the Blue Jays are calling this “pitch blue,” inspired by the reflection of Lake Ontario at night. That’s complemented the “hyper royal blue” and “speed red,” which all feature on the cap, where you see a “T” that emulates the pillars of city hall atop a maple leaf.

In the center of the chest, surrounded by the CN Tower and buildings of downtown Toronto, rests Rogers Centre. If you live in Toronto, you probably have a friend whose condo balcony overlooks part of the stadium.

“Listen, Toronto is a great city. It’s diverse. But Toronto also knows how to have fun and a lot of that happens after hours,” said Blue Jays legend José Bautista, who was in town for the release. “There is definitely a lot of different options in the night life around the city. It’s good to live in a place where, if you choose to and you want to partake, you have plenty of options. Toronto does know how to have fun, and we experienced a little bit of that when we were here.”

There will be some features you can’t see when the jerseys are on the players, too. Inside the cap, the Toronto skyline is again featured as a rhythmic heartbeat. Inside the collar of the jersey, where you’d find the tag on a shirt, it reads “Diversity is Our Strength,” which comes from Toronto’s coat of arms.

The Blue Jays will debut these jerseys Friday night when they open their series against the Pirates at Rogers Centre at 7:07 p.m. ET. They’ll continue to appear throughout the season, as well. Keeping with the theme, you’ll only see them at night games:

• June 3, 5, 17, 19, 28
• July 3, 19, 24
• August 8, 21, 23
• September 13, 23, 25

Friday’s game will kick off City Connect Week, which will be headlined by a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. City Connect bobblehead giveaway on Monday, June 3, and a City Connect backpack giveaway on Wednesday, June 5.

Toronto’s City Connect jerseys and merchandise will be available at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 31, exclusively at Jays Shop, with special appearances from franchise legends José Bautista and Edwin Encarnación at the shops on Friday morning. Merchandise will also be available to purchase online.

WHAT THEY SAID

Jordan Romano: “We’ve got one of the best skylines out there, so I think that putting it on the jersey is a really cool touch. We’ve got some water down there, too, so there’s Lake Ontario and the skyline. I like the colors. It’s cool to me.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: “My favorite color is pink. You can put red and pink together. That’s why I like it.”

John Schneider: “I’m going full jersey tomorrow. I’m going to rock it. I’ll get a belt on for the first time in a while. Representing the city is pretty cool on a night like tomorrow.”

Chris Bassitt: “I just hope this is fun for the fans, more than anything. I think we did a good job compared to a lot of teams, I’ll tell you that.”

Daulton Varsho: “I lived downtown last year, so being able to see the CN Tower every day when I walked out of the apartment was pretty cool. I know that’s a big thing here. I think it’s a cool design that shows what the city is all about.”

Yusei Kikuchi: “I like this little touch with the CN Tower here. It’s vibrant. I like it.”

Justin Turner: “I definitely think you’ll see a lot of guys wear their pants up with the red socks to break up the full dark uniform. I didn’t even know the socks were red until I saw the mannequin downstairs, but that’s probably going to happen.”

Marnie Starkman (Executive VP of business operations): “For us, it’s about showing the connection to the city. We intentionally have a bit of a splash of red, but we already have our Canada Day uniforms, so we really wanted to do something with the city. We haven’t had 'Toronto' on the front of our uniforms since 2003. We wanted that back on the front.”