Why Do Some Baseball Uniforms Have Pinstripes?

Last Updated on October 22, 2023 by Alex PT

Some baseball uniforms have pinstripes for style, tradition, and perception. Pinstripes are a classic and stylish pattern that can make players look taller and thinner. Some teams, such as the New York Yankees, are known for their pinstriped uniforms.

Why Do Some Baseball Uniforms Have Pinstripes?

1. A Distinct Identity: One of the primary reasons that some baseball uniforms have pinstripes is to establish a distinct identity. Every baseball team wants its uniform to stand out, and pinstripes offer a classic and distinctive design element. It’s a style that gives each team a unique look, helping fans and players alike identify with their team.
2. Historical Significance: Another reason why some baseball uniforms feature pinstripes is due to their historical significance. Pinstripes have been a part of baseball uniform design for over a century. The New York Yankees, one of the most iconic baseball teams, first adopted pinstripes in their uniforms in 1912.
3. Illusion of Height: Pinstripes on baseball uniforms can create an optical illusion, making players appear taller and slimmer. This psychological trick can provide an advantage, creating an intimidating appearance that might affect the opposing team’s perception.
4. Aesthetic Preference: Simply put, pinstripes look good. They add a level of sophistication and style to the uniform. It’s a design choice that stands the test of time, and is aesthetically pleasing both on the field and off.
5. Tradition: Some baseball teams keep pinstripes as a nod to tradition. It’s a part of their history, a costume that has been passed down from generation to generation. In this way, pinstripes not only serve as a design element but also as a symbol of legacy and continuity.

Baseball Uniform- Definition 

A baseball uniform is a kind of uniform that is worn by baseball players, coaches, and managers. On every baseball uniform, the player wearing it has his name and number written on the back to differentiate each player from the others. Keep in mind that the complete uniform isn’t just the shirt and shorts worn by the player. The uniform consists of a shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, caps, and gloves. The uniforms help the players, officials, and spectators tell the difference between the two teams and the official’s infield because each team’s uniform has different colors and logos. The uniforms are made with polyester and not cotton because cotton shrinks when being washed. The first team to use uniforms was the New York Knickerbockers in 1849. Uniforms have helped baseball teams not only to differentiate their players but to also make money by selling replicas. Branding companies help make for them and develop a huge amount of revenue for teams in the major league. 

Which MLB Teams Wear Pinstripes?

Here’s a list of some of the teams known for wearing pinstripes:

1. New York Yankees: The New York Yankees are perhaps the most famous pinstriped team in baseball history. Their iconic pinstriped home uniforms are a symbol of the franchise and have been worn for over a century.
2. Chicago Cubs: The Chicago Cubs wear pinstriped uniforms as part of their home and alternate jerseys. Pinstripes have been a recurring design element in the Cubs’ uniforms.
3. Chicago White Sox: The White Sox have pinstripes as part of their home and alternate uniforms. They also have black pinstriped jerseys.
4. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies have occasionally worn pinstriped uniforms in their history, especially as part of throwback or retro uniforms.
5. Kansas City Royals: The Royals have used pinstripes on their home and alternate uniforms, with blue being a prominent color in their design.
6. New York Mets: The Mets have pinstripes on their home and alternate uniforms, often featuring orange and blue stripes.
7. Minnesota Twins: The Twins’ home uniforms have featured pinstripes as a part of their design. These pinstripes are a signature element of their look.
8. St. Louis Cardinals: While not known for pinstripes, the Cardinals have occasionally incorporated them into their uniforms, particularly in throwback or special occasion jerseys.

History 

Earlier Improvements

The first baseball team to wear uniforms was the Knickerbockers on the 4^th of April 1849. They came in blue wool pants, white flannel shirts, and straw hats. After they did it, it became normal and rampant in the 1900s for major league teams to wear uniforms. In the year 1882, most team uniforms had stockings to cover their legs and knees, these stockings were mostly used to differentiate the teams. The uniforms also had features that made them different from those of the other teams, like colors and patterns. The patterns were to differentiate between the positions of each player. 

Uniforms For Home Games And On The Road 

In the later years of the 19^th century, most teams started using two different uniforms. What I am trying to say is that each team has a uniform for when they play in their baseball stadium while the other one is used for when they are on the road. Most teams were wearing white uniforms when at home and gray and black uniforms while on the road. A good example of a team that did this was the Brooklyn Superbas because unlike most teams they used blue patterns on the road. 

Hat Styles

The different kinds of hats and headgear that have shades for your eyes have been a portion of baseball uniforms since the beginning. From 1840 to 1870, most baseball players wore different kinds of hats when coming to the field. Most of the players didn’t even wear hats because, at the time, there was no official rule for headgear and hats. Some of the hats players wore to the field were jockey caps, boating caps, straw hats, cycling caps, and flat-topped caps. All these hats were worn just to prevent sunburns it did not matter which one you wore, as far as you can play with it. 

Shoes

Later in the 19^th century, baseball players started to prefer soft and reliable leather shoes. In the 1970s, artificial turf came into place in most advanced country’s baseball fields. Based on these modifications, footwear was upgraded. Detachable spikes which were banned in 1976 were brought back to prevent players from slipping on the artificial turf. Back in the 19th and 20^th centuries, most baseball shoes were black. In the 1960s Kansas city Athletic started to wear revolutionary white shoes and kept the tradition even when they moved to Oakland.

Socks And Shorts

Motivated by the Cincinnati Red Stockings, in the 1860s, the colors of the stockings of teams were used mainly to tell the difference between teams. In 1990 also and moving on, the recent styles of pants were close-trimmed for players. The pants ran clear to the shoetops. These ones came just after the ones that were traditionally knee-breeches style and had been used by generations. They were an infringement of the law that made players wear full-length pants and knee-length socks at the same time while on the field. 

Graphics And Logos

From the start, there were always designs that were used to identify the different teams. Most times, the uniforms had an old English letter on them in the chest area. This design is still in use by the Detroit Tigers, they also have a gothic style D on their home jersey and Hats. Another team is the Oakland Athletics, they have an A written on their caps and alternative jerseys. Just as official nicknames were adopted in the 1990s, so also pictorial logos became part of the team’s marketing. A good example is the small red Tiger drawn on the Detroit Tiger’s black cap. 

Why Do They Call It Pinstripes?

The banking theory stated that the pinstripe used to be a kind of uniform for Victorian English bankers and different bankers from different institutions were differentiated by the distance and thickness of their stripes.

Conclusion 

The funny thing is that just 6 out of 30 MLB teams use pinstripes on their home uniforms. The stripes were put mostly for home uniforms because most home uniforms had the same colors so the stripes were used to let people know the team on the road and the home team. We’ve reached the end of this informative article. We hope that this article helped you find resources in your quest to know why baseball uniforms have pinstripes. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments. Thanks!

References:

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-baseball-uniforms-have-pinstripes
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/answering-an-obvious-baseball-question-why-do-the-yankees-wear-pinstripes/