The uniforms of the St. Louis Cardinals have stayed mostly the same over their long history of 142 years, a tradition that remains intact with the unveiling of their City Connect design. Since 1901, they’ve worn white at home and gray on the road. The iconic “Birds on the Bat” logo first appeared in 1922, becoming a hallmark of their uniform.
In recent times, they’ve introduced alternate cream uniforms for home games on Saturdays and blue uniforms for away games on Saturdays. However, they’ve chosen to stick with tradition for their City Connect design, which stays true to the Cardinals’ classic color scheme while honoring the history of St. Louis.
This new look includes a red jersey, a first in the franchise’s regular-season attire. Although they experimented with red jerseys in spring training since 2014, they abandoned the practice this year. The ensemble is completed with white pants and a red cap.
Cardinals Team President Bill DeWitt III expressed a commitment to maintaining the team’s high uniform standards, preferring to keep their designs traditional. Despite initial reluctance to participate in the City Connect series due to the team’s traditional nature, they were swayed by the success of other teams and fan enthusiasm.
The design process for the new uniform insisted on incorporating the “Birds on the Bat,” a symbol dating back to 1922 and inspired by two cardinal birds observed by then-manager Branch Rickey.
A notable feature of the uniform is the inclusion of “The Lou” across the chest, inspired by a nickname popularized by rapper Nelly’s 2000 album “Country Grammar,” reflecting St. Louis pride.
Pinstripes on the sleeve symbolize the city’s location between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, a design element not seen since 1929. The red “STL” cap lettering pays homage to the team’s early 1920-21 uniforms, while “1882” inside the collar signifies the franchise’s founding year.
The sleeve patch combines symbols of the Gateway Arch and fleur-de-lis, representing the city’s French heritage, along with the historical “STL” emblem. This patch serves as a tribute to past and present St. Louis icons, as well as the Cardinals’ identity.
