Astros Launch Space City Nike City Connect Uniforms
The uniform is a nod to Houston’s rich space travel history, links our past and present -- all to honor Houston’s culture of never stop reaching for the stars.
HOUSTON, Texas -- The Houston Astrosbecame the second Major League Baseball team in 2022 and ninth overall to launch their Nike City Connect uniform with the introduction of a Space City-themed uniform on Sunday morning.
The Houston Astros City Connect jersey pays tribute to our city’s contributions to space travel. “SPACE CITY” is stenciled broadly across the chest in space-inspired lettering, while the grid pattern on the sleeves emulates the star charts that helped guide countless missions through the cosmos. The lunar lander above the jock tag is a symbol of accomplishment, of reaching new heights, while grounded in the jersey’s rich blue, orange and yellow hues that are ever-present in the city’s skyline.Here, we explore Houston’s persistent quest to go above and beyond and to provehuman potential limitless.
“Our City Connect uniform links the past and the present, making the old new, with a nod to our city’s great history of space travel. The Astros retro elements with a forward-thinking approach matches the constant pursuit of new opportunities and extraordinary wins that represent the great city of Houston,” said Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Anita Sehgal. “This uniform is a thank you to our fans for their relentless support to the Astros and to growing our great community - we don’t see this as just a uniform, but as a movement for our city and we are excited to share it today.”
In addition to the Nike jersey, the uniform also consists of navy Nike pants, a navy New Era hat and rainbow socks by Stance, an homage to the Astros iconic rainbow uniform of the 1970s. The pants, hat and socks all continue the theme of Space City, connecting our city’s history and retro elements of Astros uniforms of the 1970s into the 21st century. See below for in-depth details of all the elements of the uniform.
The Astros will wear their new City Connect uniforms for the first time on April 20, 2022 against the Los Angeles Angels. After that first wear, they will be worn on Monday home games throughout the season. Special activations with unique photo opportunities and more will be a part of the celebration each Monday at Minute Maid Park this season.
City Connect merchandise will be available from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. today at the Astros Team Store at Minute Maid Park. Beginning at 1 p.m., fans will need a FanFest voucher to enter the Team Store. The Team Store will be open throughout FanFest and the following Watch Party at Minute Maid Park. Get your $1 vouchers to FanFest, with proceeds going to the Astros Foundation at Astros.com/FanFest.
The Union Station Team Store at Minute Maid Park will have expanded hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday, April 11th to Friday, April 15th. On Saturday, April 16th, the store will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Launched last season, the Nike MLB City Connect program was created to celebrate the bond between each Club and its city. This uniform series explores the personality, values and customs that make each community and their residents unique. Nike and MLB Clubs partnered to design jerseys inspired by their cities to celebrate new baseball traditions and invite more fans into the game of baseball. The Astros join the Washington Nationals as the two teams to have launched their uniforms in 2022.
Features of the Astros City Connect Uniform
Hat Logo -- This new take on our traditional Star H logo launches the planetary tracks and rainbow gradient from our iconic 60s and 70s logos into the 21st century.
Astros Cap Badge -- Astros is spelled out boldly along the side of our cap in the popular space inspired worm font.
Gold Nike Swoosh -- The Nike swoosh is embroidered with gold thread symbolizing the gold multi-layer insulation protecting much of the mission equipment in space
Rainbow Piping -- The rainbow gradient piping stitched throughout the uniform is “one of a kind” just like the city of Houston. Each jersey has its own gradient pattern throughout, showcasing the individuality and diversity of our players, fans, and city.
Grid Pattern -- The grid pattern displayed on the sleeves of the jersey resemble the star charts used by astronomers to identify and locate stars, constellations and galaxies.
Pant Numbers -- The unconventional placement of each players number on their right pant leg illustrates the organizations desire to blaze its own path. By taking a page from the history book, we once again bring our iconic 1970s rainbow uniforms into the modern era.
Mission Sleeve Patch -- Every space crew needs a mission patch to guide them through their journey. Our patch focuses on what connects us all – our city. Houston’s four area codes are emblazoned on the patch’s corners, surrounding the Astros’ take on the Texas state flag.
Space City Chest Plate -- People from all over have colloquially referred to Houston as Space City since the inception of our country’s manned space travel expeditions. Home to Mission Control, there was no better way to represent the city that continues to believe that human potential is limitless.
Jock Tag -- The lunar lander symbolizes a pinnacle achievement of human potential and alludes to Houston's impact on pushing humanity to new heights.
Go for Launch -- The phrase is stitched in Astros orange along the inside of the collar as a constant reminder that our mission to achieve greatness is Go For Launch.
Gradient Socks by Stance -- The design of the uniform’s most unique and eye-catching feature leverages our rainbow gradient pattern to represent the rocket thrusters that blast each shuttle into space.