Pirates unveil newest Nike City Connect jerseys, which highlight history of franchise

The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled their newest alternate uniforms, which tap into Pittsburgh civic pride, on Thursday. The City Connect uniforms, made in a partnership with Nike, will make their debut on June 27 when the Pirates host the San Diego Padres.

The uniform’s design — inspired by what the Pirates wore in the 1970s — takes elements from the city’s steel industry, three rivers and checkered board in the city’s flag to create a custom, geometric graphic across the top of the jersey.

The jersey features a golden yellow base with a “PGH” graphic arched similarly to the city’s bridges that features a texture from the Roberto Clemente Bridge in each letter. A traditional Pirates “P” sits on the sleeve atop an image of a baseball.

The words “We bleed black and gold” sit just above the jocktag, emphasizing the relationship between the team and the city.

“We believe this uniform collaboration with Nike represents what being from Pittsburgh is all about,” read a statement by Travis Williams, Pirates President. “From a distance, a Pittsburgher is strong, sturdy, quiet, friendly and never showy or overstated. However, get to know someone from the city and you learn that there’s more to them than meets the eye, but you would never guess until you get close to them.”

The Pirates will be the last of six teams to debut a City Connect uniform during the 2023 season, and the 20th team overall since the City Connect program was launched in 2021.