In looking back at baseball uniforms history, a lot of college and professional players have made a major impact on the trends and fashion of the uniforms over the years.
By the beginning of the 20th century, baseball uniforms began taking on the familiar appearance we see today. Professional teams commonly had two different colors of uniforms, one for home games and one for those on the road.
The colors varied greatly for each team, which helped distinguish them to their fans. One interesting development happened around 1907 when some teams began to pinstripe their uniforms. This was popular, but it was hard for the fans to really see the pinstripes until they were widened a few years later. By the late 1910’s, pinstripes had made their way to New York and were prominently worn by the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. But the most famous team to don the pinstripes was the New York Yankees, who still wear them to this day.
The most famous New York Yankee was Babe Ruth, who joined the Yankees from the Boston Red Sox in 1919. During his career he hit 714 home runs and led the Yankees to four World Series wins. He became a living legend during his tenure with the Yankees and upon his retirement became one of the first five members to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Babe Ruth’s accomplishments were many during his time with the Yankees. He was the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season, batted an impressive .342 for his lifetime, making him tenth among all-time hitters despite the fact that he was primarily known as a slugger, of which is slugging average of .690 and 1.164 on-base plus slugging percentages are still at the top of the record books.
But as much as his records made him a legend, Ruth’s popularity and lifestyle managed to transcend it. He not only was the most recognizable athlete of his day, he was easily the most popular and his fame spread beyond the world of sports to movies and radio, becoming the first ever celebrity superstar. In a 1999 poll conducted by ESPN, Babe Ruth ranked as the 3rd greatest American athlete of the 20th century, behind only Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. Despite the fact that Ruth had passed away almost 50 years earlier, such was his impact on sports.
The impact Babe Ruth made on baseball uniforms history is somewhat indirect and more due to legend than any actual truth, but legend tends to have a more profound impact at times and in the case of Ruth, this may be true as well.
The legend is that the New York Yankees adopted the pinstripes so that their famous player Babe Ruth, whose heft and ample mid-section was almost as iconic as his batting prowess, would appear thinner. The problem is that the Yankees had adopted the pinstripes before Ruth joined the team and when he did, Ruth had yet to gain his famous bulk. Yet his impact on baseball uniforms history seems secure, even if it didn’t really happen.
You can find plenty of great baseball uniforms in all the colors and styles you want. You can even get FREE lettering on totally custom baseball uniforms and you can design your own. Whether you are outfitting the youngsters in grade school or a college team, www.baseballuniformsale.com can handle all your baseball uniform needs.
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