yorkrevolution.com

 

(April 1) — Prepping for another hot summer, the York Revolution unveiled today the design for an alternate uniform players will don when the 2017 forecast calls for extreme heat. The design features a mesh shirt and will mark the return of shorts to professional baseball.

 

“Anyone who lives in or around York County knows how intense the heat can get on summer days, particularly in July or August,” said Revolution general manager John Gibson. “Our traditional uniforms trap a great deal of body heat, and that can put a real strain on the body, even for well-conditioned professional athletes. Based on feedback from the players and our training staff, we created what we’ve labeled the ‘extreme heat’ uniform and designed it to allow as much air as possible for those days when temperatures will reach 90 or more.”

 

The uniform shirt is a mesh material composed of tiny holes and featuring the scripted team logo on a Revolution gold background, while the shorts are Revolution blue and bear the team’s secondary logo. York players have already dubbed the shorts “Yorts.”

 

Revolution infielder Bryan Pounds said he and his teammates are confident the uniform variant will provide a competitive advantage in the latter half of the season.

 

“They’re pretty light, and you definitely feel a bit of breeze when you’re running around in them,” Pounds said. “I haven’t done a full-on slide into a base in a pair of the Yorts yet, but I think any scrapes or stuff will be worth it if we’re going to be cooler out there.”

 

The ‘extreme heat’ uniform also brings shorts back to the professional baseball, harkening back to the 1976 Chicago White Sox, who made shorts the standard for their uniforms for a successful portion of that season.

 

“The Sox were better than .600 with the shorts, so we’re pretty confident in this approach,” said Revolution manager Mark Mason, adding that his players talked him out of any concerns regarding his own appearance in the unconventional uniform.

 

“Yeah, I’m not usually a shorts – or ‘Yorts’ – kind of guy, but, you know, lead by example, right? If it’s going to help us win games, then we’ll do it.”

 

Team officials said they also expect retail versions of the new uniforms to be a popular item in the team store.

 

“Our fans are always looking for new merchandise and really like those pieces that are based directly on what the players are wearing,” Gibson said. “So we’re excited to have this new option for them to show their team pride and stay cool themselves this year.”