Phillies unveil City Connect jerseys: ‘It’s sick. It screams Philly’

After dropping off their 9-year-old son, Angel Figueroa Jr., at school Friday morning, Angel Sr. and Cynthia excitedly rushed to Citizens Bank Park. The married couple from Port Richmond was first in line to purchase merchandise from the Phillies’ new Nike City Connect jersey collection.

They arrived more than two hours before the doors at the team store opened to the public at 10 a.m., signaling a new chapter for the franchise.

“I’ve been a Phillies fan my whole life, so this is something new. I’m excited,” said Angel Figueroa, who works for the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office. “I think it’s sick. It screams Philly. That’s the best thing about it.”

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The City Connect jersey features a color combination consisting of light blue, midnight blue, and yellow, with “PHILLY” inscribed across the front. The Liberty Bell and the city’s skyline with yellow stars are affixed on the cap.

The Phillies will wear the City Connect jerseys for every Friday home game throughout the season, beginning April 12 against the Pirates.

A sign detailing the new jersey inside the store read: “Bang The Drum with the Phillies 2024 MLB x City Connect Jerseys. Featuring a logo with a rebellious attitude, streaks of gold like the cracks of the Liberty Bell that light the pathway toward greatness, and a colorway that harnesses the fight and pride of the city’s iconic flag that lets you say it with your chest.”

Upon launch, the team store had City Connect jerseys for 10 players available for purchase: Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler.

“It’s been three years in the making,” said Howard Smith, the Phillies’ vice president of business affairs. “When our owner, John Middleton, came back and told us it was approved, it was about tapping into a new audience, primarily younger.

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“Ultimately, the colors that you see are about connecting to the city through the lens of our flag. We have the oldest flag in the United States. The City of Brotherly Love memento is on the crest of the flag. … It’s been a great project. This place is going to feel special as fans continue to buy into the project.”

While more than a hundred fans lined up for the City Connect unveiling, a majority of them already were aware of what the jersey looked like because of a leak that first circulated in January. The jersey received mixed reviews across social media. But that didn’t stop the diehards from bracing 40-degree temperatures and a surprise earthquake that shook the region moments after the unveiling.

Jason Hickey, a Norristown native and poker dealer at Live! Casino, made sure to stop by the team store to buy a Harper City Connect jersey ahead of his Friday afternoon shift across the street.

“It’s something new to reinvigorate the fandom,” Hickey said. “I saw the leak and some people were [ticked] off, but I thought they were pretty cool, so I had to get here. Every home game, [Live! Casino workers] get to wear a Phillies jersey during our shifts. It’s a little bit of an investment, but I guarantee none of my coworkers will have these today.”

Adam Schemmer was third in line behind the Figueroas after he made the one-hour drive from his home in Trenton. Schemmer’s fandom was sparked as a youth thanks to his late grandfather, Ray Robbins, who admired Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

“This is a special moment,” Schemmer said. “The past couple of years, there’s been a lot of hype around the team. I feel like the success is going to continue. As long as we have Bryce Harper and [manager] Rob Thomson, the boys will be OK. Hopefully there’s plenty to cheer about with these City Connects.”