Each season Major League Baseball outfits its 30 clubs with special caps and uniforms to accompany holidays and special events. The first of which is Jackie Robinson Day — every April 15 — when all on-field personnel wear his iconic No. 42.
The number is otherwise retired across MLB and has not been in circulation since Mariano Rivera retired after the 2013 season. MLB retired No. 42 on April 15, 1997, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
After Jackie Robinson Day, players receive specially-designed uniforms for Mother’s Day, Armed Forces Day, Father’s Day and Independence Day Weekend.
During games on Mother’s Day Sunday, players wore caps with pink accents on their team’s logo and cap brims. A matching pair of pink socks was optional for every player, while regular jerseys were adorned by a pink ribbon on the left chest.
Since 2006, players have swung pink bats, worn pink ribbon decals and sported pink wristbands on Mother’s Day to raise awareness and, through charity auctions, funds to fight breast cancer.
For Armed Forces Day, MLB honors military members and their families throughout the weekend of the third Saturday of May. Players wore camouflage-designed caps with their uniforms, as well as optional camo-themed socks.
A jersey patch featuring the stars and stripes silhouetted batter was be placed on the left chest, and the right side of the caps feature a five-starred emblem to represent the five branches of the U.S military.
The Toronto Blue Jays wore a badge with four maple leafs on the right side of their caps to demonstrate respect for the Canadian Armed Forces.
Father’s Day uniforms call for a light blue ribbon to be placed on the left chest of team jerseys, while New Era designed a new cap with light blue crowns to accent team colors on the brim and logo.
Players also have the option of wearing Stance multi-pattern blue-dyed socks. Players have worn blue ribbons and sported blue wristbands throughout the years on Father’s Day since MLB first partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 1996.
MLB will again donate 100% of royalties from the sales of specialty caps and apparel emblazoned with the symbolic blue ribbon – a minimum $300,000 collective donation – to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer.
Lastly, Fourth of July Weekend will see players in caps that are caps emblazoned with stars and stripes for a 12th consecutive summer.
However, new this season is clubs will wear one of their historic teams logos on the front of caps, while the sides feature their respective American or National League logos.
Players also have the option of wearing socks with a fireworks design, while a stars and stripes patch will adorn home and road jerseys during games on July 4. The Toronto Blue Jays will sport their red alternate jerseys with red Maple Leaf caps on Canada Day (July 1).
