Yankees Uniforms Will Have A New Feature

 

@Yankees.

When the Yankees return home on Friday, July 21, when they open a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals, their pinstriped uniforms will have a different look.

The Yankees announced on Wednesday morning that Starr Insurance has become the Signature Partner of the team, and will be the team's first jersey patch partner. This builds on the partnership that the two organizations have had since 2018, and this exclusive agreement runs through the 2031 season.

There will be a Starr Insurance patch on one of the sleeves, which depends on whether the player is a right-handed or left-handed hitter.

Aaron Judge in the new-look Yankees home uniform. @Yankees.

Starr signage will also be placed on the Yankee Stadium outfield wall in front of the Yankees and visiting bullpens, which complements Starr's billboard above the right-field bleachers.

In addition, Starr will be the Official Presenting Sponsor of the Yankees' game-day lineup post on social media and will work closely with the New York Yankees Foundation on upcoming community initiatives in the New York metropolitan area.

Gerrit Cole in the road gray uniform with the Starr patch. @Yankees.

New York Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner said in the press release, "We are extremely proud to welcome Starr Insurance as the Yankees' first-ever Signature Partner. Having had Starr as an insurance carrier of ours for the last decade and having worked closely with their leadership team as part of our preestablished partnership, it is clear that Starr is the right company to embark with on this landmark relationship. There were many aspects of Starr that aligned with our organization, including their century-plus history, significant New York presence, worldwide reach and unparalleled commitment to the community. My father was also well-acquainted with Mr. Greenberg, whose devotion to philanthropy I deeply respect."

Starr is led by Chairman and CEO Maurice R. Greenberg, who also serves as Chairman of the Starr Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the United States. Starr is a preeminent global insurance and investment organization that has a presence on six continents and maintains its largest office in New York City. Through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides commercial property, casualty, and accident & health insurance products, plus a range of specialty coverages including aviation, marine, energy and excess casualty insurance.

Greenberg said in a statement, "Starr and the Yankees, one of the world's most widely recognized professional sports teams, share important values - including a commitment not just to teamwork and winning, but to a excellence in how we do business and serve a broad range of constituencies. We're proud of the unique partnership we have forged over the past five years and have now deepened for many years to come."

@Yankees.

PARTING SCHOTT: The Yankees tipped this off earlier in the season that they would decide by the middle of the season that they would decide which company would win the bidding for this jersey patch, as this is the first year that Major League Baseball allowed teams to do this.

Teams like the Mets the Boston Red Sox, and the Miami Marlins have had ads on their jersey sleeve since Opening Day, but this hits different.

The Yankees jersey was always clean, to the point it didn't even have the jersey maker until the Nike swish appeared in 2020 when they became the official outfitter of Major League Baseball.

That change to the Yankees jersey and the addition of the New Era logo on the perfect navy blue cap with the white interlocking "NY" in 2017 were enough to get used to, now this jersey sponsorship is really a break from tradition. 

The one thing the Yankees did achieve is that it is color-coordinated, unlike the Mets, who had a brouhaha that the New York-Presbyterian logo was originally red and white and took up practically the whole sleeve. They then unveiled one in blue and orange that was more like a rectangle, which mirrors this Starr patch on the Yankees jersey and the Mass Mutual patch on Boston's, so the hope is that Major League Baseball will make them more uniform across the sport.