D-backs’ purple and teal threads land on ESPN’s top 20 all-time uniforms
Feb 13, 2022, 3:15 PM
Starting pitcher Randy Johnson #51 and Luis Gonzalez #20 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrate winning game two of the Major League Baseball World Series over the New York Yankees at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees 4-0. (Harry How/ALLSPORT)
(Harry How/ALLSPORT)
Baseball uniforms have always differed from those of other sports because it’s the only sport in which every player and coach wear pants.
America’s national pastime has spiced up its threads in recent years after Major League Baseball switched over from Majestic to Nike in 2019.
Some older uniforms have seen a resurgence — such as the all-powder blue threads of the Toronto Blue Jays, while others have stood the test of time like the New York Yankees’ iconic nameless pinstripes.
ESPN’s Joon Lee ranked the top 20 all-time uniforms in MLB history, and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ original purple and teal threads that they rocked until 2006 landed at the No. 19 spot — not bad for a team whose first season came in 1998.
What made it so great: Arizona pivoted to a Sedona red design over the last couple of decades after pressure, sources say, from the league to move toward a more distinctive color from its original purple and teal design. Though polarizing, these uniforms continue to stick out. The Colorado Rockies are the only team in the sport to use purple as one of its main colors, but the combination from the original Diamondbacks uniforms is more memorable.
What today’s uniform designers could learn from it: Purple and teal rock as a color combination. The wave of nostalgia for ’90s fashion is bringing back the appeal of teal in sports team uniforms and logos — similar to the retro New York Islanders, Vancouver Grizzlies and Anaheim Ducks colors.
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Diamondbacks fans should brace themselves before looking toward the top of the list, as two NL West division rivals are ranked ahead of Arizona.
The San Diego Padres’ newer pinstripe uniforms cracked the list at No. 11, while the Los Angeles Dodgers topped the chart with their timeless home threads that go all the way back to their days in Brooklyn.
The Yankees landed at the No. 2 spot, but D-backs fans will always remember their 2001 Diamondbacks unseating New York as the three-time defending champions in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in those exact uniforms.
