ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals, with help from Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist and St. Louis native, Nelly, today unveiled the team’s highly anticipated Nike MLB City Connect Series uniform and merchandise line.
The Cardinals City Connect features a nod to St. Louis proud history in The Lou, while keeping the gaze fixed on a bright future. Below breaks down the jersey in detail.
• Jersey Front—Birds on the Bat and “The Lou”: Featuring a modern take on the traditional “Birds on the Bat”, the chain-stitched jersey lettering showcases a familiar nickname for St. Louis that gained mainstream popularity through use by STL-native and Grammy Award-winning rapper Nelly.
• Lower Jersey & Cap Lettering: Reviving a classic Cardinals font, the “STL” cap and “ST. LOUIS CARDINALS” lower jersey font pay homage to the team’s 1920-21 jersey lettering, the final seasons before the “Birds on the Bat” were introduced.
• Circle Arm Patch: The sleeve patch is a salute to The Lou’s two most enduring historic symbols: the fleur-delis commemorating St. Louis’ French founding and heritage, along with a civic icon, the Gateway Arch.
• Jersey & Pants River Pinstripes: Introducing a new twist on a traditional baseball uniform standard, the river pinstripes represent St. Louis’ historic role as a river city, situated at the confluence of the Missouri and the mighty Mississippi. It marks the first use of pinstripes on a Cardinals uniform since 1929.
• 1882 Inside Collar: Commemorating the official birth of the franchise through the founding of the American Association’s St. Louis Brown Stockings, the jersey features a vintage “1882” on the inner collar.
• Red Jersey: The team’s City Connect jerseys marks the first time in franchise history that a red jersey is being produced for regular season play.