Why the Mets haven't worn their black (or blue) uniforms this season
New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo reacts after reaching first base during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in New York. Credit: AP/Noah K. Murray
The Mets haven’t worn their black jerseys — their signature get-up for Friday games at Citi Field — this season because they have not received the corresponding pants from Nike and Fanatics, Brandon Nimmo said on Sunday.
That is true for their alternate blue home jerseys, too, part of wider issues with delays from Nike and Fanatics, who have been a source of sartorial consternation among players since early in spring training.
“There’s a serious problem when a $13 billion industry is having a tough time getting pants from a worldwide industry that is supposed to be at the forefront of apparel and whatnot,” Nimmo told Newsday. “We can’t wear our blacks, we can’t wear our blues because we don’t have our pants, and I hear that it’s a problem with other teams as well.”
The Cardinals, for example, have not yet received their Saturday light blue jerseys. This past Saturday, they stuck with their usual road grays against the Mets, who also wore gray — their new City Connect version.
The Nike-designed, Fanatics-manufactured jerseys have been widely panned by major-leaguers this year, initially because of the cheap-feeling quality of the so-called performance clothes that are supposed to improve mobility and moisture management.
That overhaul of MLB’s uniforms has led to shipping delays from Fanatics, a league source said, because they are producing more than in years past.
A month into the season, some teams still are missing pieces of their ensembles. For the Mets, it is a basic white baseball pant with blue piping down the leg.
“It’s one set of pants for two jersey tops that we can’t wear in a major-league season because they don’t have it available,” Nimmo said. “It’s a problem that they need to solve for sure. And not a small problem, either.”
Excluding Opening Day, the Mets have had two would-be black Friday games at Citi Field, April 12 against the Royals and this past Friday against the Cardinals.
Their next such date is May 10 against Atlanta. A person familiar with the schedule said the Mets’ pants are due in by May 7.
The Mets wore black uniforms from 1998-2012 and brought them back to much fanfare in 2021. They are popular among players, who would especially like to be able to change it up from the usual home white.
“This is supposed to be the pinnacle of the sport,” Nimmo said. “To have three or four different jerseys should not be a big deal.”
Sick and sore
Drew Smith said he “100%” believes that pitching while sick recently caused him to go on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, as a stomach bug added an extra level of stress and fatigue that took a toll on his body.
He was nauseous on the mound April 20 against the Dodgers, when he faced five batters, walked two but struck out Shohei Ohtani.
“I literally came off the mound and was throwing up,” Smith said. “I couldn’t even think out there. Just get outs and get off the mound. I was one batter away from throwing up on the mound. [The shoulder] was fine then, but the next day I woke up and it was kind of barky.”
He protected the Mets’ lead, though, in a game perhaps best remembered for Edwin Diaz finishing the eighth and Reed Garrett picking up the save in the ninth.
“Looking back on it, maybe it wasn’t the best idea,” Smith said. “But I knew I needed to pitch that day. I thought I could do it. I did do it. But at a small price.”
Extra bases
David Peterson (hip surgery) began a minor-league rehabilitation assignment Sunday. He struck out five in two perfect innings with Low-A St. Lucie . . . Tylor Megill (right shoulder strain) will make his second of a planned three rehab starts Thursday with Double-A Binghamton. He said he’ll throw about 60 pitches . . . The Mets called up lefthander Danny Young from Triple-A Syracuse to replace lefthander Josh Walker, who had pitched the previous two days and was sent back to Syracuse. Young, 29, had a 1.12 ERA and 12 strikeouts in eight innings in the minors.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
