The cherry blossom trees that bloom each spring around Washington, DC portend renewal and endless opportunity, much like the start of a brand new Major League Baseball season.
This icon of the state capital features prominently on the jersey and cap of the Washington Nationals Nike MLB City Connect 2022 home and away kits, unveiled on Tuesday.
The uniforms will be worn at select games throughout the season and will make their debut on the field during the team’s opening day weekend on April 9-10 against the Mets.
The jersey has an anthracite base color, a cherry blossom print and touches of pink around the edges. The cherry blossom motif will be featured in a variety of ways throughout the season throughout Nationals Park, including on soda cups and ice cream helmets at concession stands.
“Washington, DC’s cherry blossoms represent hope and new beginnings, which makes them the perfect symbol of this Nationals team,” said Nationals executive principal Mark D. Lerner. “We’re thrilled to unveil these beautiful uniforms as an embodiment of the hopeful future of our historic organization as we headline the celebrations at the District of Cherry Blossoms with our friends at the Wizards.”
The NBA’s Washington Wizards will join the Nationals to celebrate the district’s cherry blossoms when they don their own special-edition shooting jersey during the warm-up before Tuesday’s game against the Bulls.
The “WSH” graphic on the front of the jersey reflects the power and strength of the neoclassical architecture found throughout the district in buildings such as the White House, US Capitol and Lincoln Memorial.
The flag of the District of Columbia, with its three stars and two horizontal bars, is displayed as a patch on the left sleeve and above the uniform socks. Based on the Washington family coat of arms, the presence of the flag on the shirt pays homage not only to America’s first president, but to all Washingtonians past, present and future.
Launched in 2021, the Nike MLB City Connect line of uniforms explores the personality, values and customs that make each community and its residents unique. Last season there were seven participating clubs — the Cubs, D-Backs, Dodgers, Giants, Marlins, Red Sox and White Sox — and seven additional teams will wear City Connect uniforms this year, beginning with the Nationals on the first Saturday of the regular season.
Here’s the full schedule of when each newly participating team will debut their 2022 City Connect jersey:
Washington Nationals: April 9
Houston Astros: April 20
Kansas City Royals: April 30
Colorado Rockies: June 4th
Los Angeles Angels: June 11
Milwaukee Brewers: June 24
San Diego Padres: July 8th
City Connect merchandise will be available exclusively at the Nationals Team Store, MLBShop.com and newacap.com from March 30th through April 4th, before releasing online and in select Nike retail locations on April 5th and April 10th. To be distributed entirely online and in stores in April.
Fans are invited to attend Wednesday morning’s launch party where the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales will deliver the City Connect merchandise to the Team Store. They are scheduled to arrive at the midfield gates at 10 a.m. ET.