Baseball Tradition: Why the Away Wear Gray

Baseball Tradition: Why the Away Wear Gray

Baseball season is in full swing, and the National and American Leagues are running the bases and fielding flies every day of the week, all across the nation. For many, baseball is more than simply a sport; it’s a game filled with lore, superstition, and seemingly impossible feats of nature leading to unforgettable accomplishments.

Though commonly pitched as “America’s Pastime,” baseball has roots leading back to England in the 1700s, with bat-and-ball games gaining favor during this century. Perhaps surprisingly, the first baseball game recorded in history took place in Canada in 1838. Americans took the idea and ran the bases with their version’s first game being played over 179 years ago. In 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey, the New York Base Ball Club competed against the Knickerbockers. The game has been treasured nationwide ever since.

Since these humble beginnings, the sport has evolved from bunts to grand slams in both the minors and majors. However, the pastime is notorious for being one filled with rich, unchanging traditions, as well. One of these remaining standards is the gray uniforms worn by the traveling team. The rationale is practical: gray is the simplest color to clean. In a game filled with home slides on dusty diamonds and the clutch grabs in the rolling outfield, dirt buildup and grass stains require common-sense strategies. Hence, the notion of “home whites” and “road grays.” The home team always wears white jerseys, while the away team sports the grays.

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