'Los Dodgers' unis a salute to Latino fan base

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers and Nike unveiled their MLB City Connect Series uniforms on Thursday morning, and the club will debut them on the field against the Mets on Friday and Saturday. It’s also possible that other dates will be added later in the season.

When the Dodgers take the field, they’ll be sporting an all-blue uniform that has “Los Dodgers” written on the hat and jersey. They’ll also be wearing blue pants for the first time in franchise history. Still, the organization tried to maintain some of its tradition by keeping the team script and red numbers.

The reasoning behind going with “Los Dodgers” on both the cap and jersey is the organization's way of saluting its connection with its Latino fan base. The Dodgers celebrated the 40th anniversary of Fernandomania earlier this season. Another touch to the jerseys is a pop of spray paint, which represents the city of Los Angeles’ street art culture and murals.

“The Dodger uniform is an iconic part of the franchise’s identity,” said Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen. “We’re excited to debut these City Connect uniforms on the field and know our fans will enjoy seeing “Los Dodgers” on the uniforms as well as our new murals, which bring Los Angeles’ street art culture to Dodger Stadium.”

The murals around Dodger Stadium will be yet another layer of the organization’s uniform release. L.A. worked with local artists Jonas Swyer, Fernando Valdez Zamora, Michelle Ruby Guerrero, Hector Arias, Chris Corona and Michael Villanueva Matugas to bring murals to the left and right field loge terraces.

Those murals, which feature Justin Turner, Julio Urías, Mookie Betts and others, will be on display starting with Thursday's game against the Mets. Uniforms will also be sold on the Nike app, MLB Shop and select retail locations. They’ll be available at Dodger Stadium beginning on Friday, Aug, 20.

“While our traditional look has and will always be worn by the franchise-great players,” Rosen said, "The City Connect program offered us the opportunity to recognize the impact and importance of our multicultural fan base.”

Also, in celebration of the uniform unveiling, the Dodgers and Fanatics will host two watch parties over the weekend. The first will be on Friday in Santa Monica from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT. The second will be hosted on Saturday in Lynwood from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.