The Cardinals will have a new look for 2019. Actually, it'll be a modern twist on an classic one.
The club revealed Monday new throwback-themed jerseys to its uniform cycle for the 2019 season, unveiling powder-blue alternates reminiscent of those worn by successful Cardinals teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• Cardinals bring back powder-blue jerseys with -- get this -- buttons!
The blue will be back for 13 Saturday road games next season, while the Cardinals will continue to wear their off-white alternates for Saturday games at home. The announcement at Ballpark Village marked the club's first uniform change since 2013, when it introduced the off-white alternates.
• Shop for Cardinals' powder-blue jersey
"Like a lot of things with the Cardinals, you're always looking forward but you're also always looking back," team president Bill DeWitt said. "The neat thing about this jersey is that is does both. It recalls earlier eras, but it's the modern feel and look and material."
The new jerseys are set to debut March 30 in Milwaukee, in the third game of the 2019 season. The design bridges the gap between retro and modern. All the elements of the current off-white alternates will remain, including the "St. Louis" script on the front and red piping around the buttons and sleeves, just with a new powder-blue primary color. The Cardinals will continue wearing red hats with the powder-blue jerseys, which are expected to fit players better than the notoriously tight originals.
Those jerseys, remembered as "victory" blues, debuted in 1974 and were worn through 1986. They are most closely associated with the 1982 World Series-winning team, and players like Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Bruce Sutter and Ted Simmons.
"For me, it's always represented that era from the late '70s and early '80s," DeWitt said. "The guys who wore that jersey represented it well. I always kind of felt it should stay in that era."
But DeWitt's opinion changed over the course of the last calendar year, after a recommendation from pro scout Kerry Robinson, a St. Louis native who played for the Cardinals from 2001-03.
"I do a lot of traveling, and every night I see a lot of Cardinals gear," Robinson said. "Over the past few years I'd see people wearing the throwback powder blue. I'd ask them what they thought of going back to that, and 100 percent of the time, they thought it was a great idea. I mentioned it to Bill. Nothing happens unless you throw it out there."
DeWitt ordered a prototype of the design and quietly began surveying people within the organization. He called the feedback "overwhelmingly positive."
"I went to the clubhouse, and the guys said, 'You guys have to do that!'" DeWitt said.
DeWitt, Robinson and Smith were part of the six-person panel on hand at Ballpark Village on Monday to unveil the new design, along with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, broadcaster Dan McLaughlin and center fielder Harrison Bader.