The Tampa Bay Rays are debuting their City Connect uniforms on Friday against the New York Mets. The jersey features "Tampa Bay" on the front for the first time since 2007, per team sideline reporter Tricia Whitaker.
The lettering of the jersey pays homage to the old Devil Rays. It also pays homage to the large skating community with a stingray on a skateboard. The hat includes a representation of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
There is no denying that these jerseys represent the community and its former club. Much like other City Connect jerseys, a lot of thought and care went into creating them.
After unveiling their new uniforms this week, the club has gotten nothing but compliments from fans. The jerseys are such a hit that they are also getting great responses from fans of other teams.
"Yea these are absolute fire" - one fan posted.
"Best City Connect uniforms" - posted another.
"These are easily the best released this year and yet yall have posted absolutely nothing about them compared to the Mets and Phillies" - posted another.
Some fans believe these are the best City Connect uniforms that have been released this year. While the uniforms look good, there has not been a ton of attention paid to them compared to others.
"Nice!" - said another fan.
"Incredible" - said another.
"Yankees fan here, these go HARD" - said another.
The jerseys are certainly working for Randy Arozarena. He stepped up to the plate in the fourth inning and launched an absolute no-doubt home run that went 445 feet to left field.
What teams are set to unveil their City Connect uniforms following the Tampa Bay Rays?
While the Tampa Bay Rays debuted their City Connect uniforms on Friday, some other teams are preparing to unveil theirs. The next club set to unveil their new digs is the Cleveland Guardians.
Cleveland will debut their City Connect jerseys on May 17. After Cleveland, the St. Louis Cardinals will get their turn. They will debut their uniforms on May 25.
The Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Dodgers are also set to unveil City Connect uniforms later this season.
Nearly every club will have a City Connect uniform outside the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics. There is no word if either team will get an updated jersey set anytime soon.