Mets History

A history of Mets road uniforms

Looking back at every road uniform in Mets history.

By Matt Varvaro May 29, 2017, 12:00pm EDT

Previously, we took a look at every home uniform the Mets have worn throughout their history. Today, we turn to the team’s road uniforms. As was the case in the first article, we’re focusing on the main jersey design, as opposed to more minor details like arm patches, hat brim colors, and one-day promotions. Let us know what your favorite Mets road jersey is, and if you think any should return to the team’s jersey rotation!

1962-1964: The original grays

Mets Roger Craig 1962 spring trianing road uniform

The original road uniform was notable in that it did not feature a name on the back or a number on the front. Instead, the gray button-down featured only the player’s name on the back and “New York” written across the front, both in Dodger blue outlined in Giant orange. The uniform also included two blue stripes running down the front of the jersey and down the sides of the pants.

1965-1973: Numbers on the front

As they did with their home jersey, the Mets added a uniform number to the lower left side of their road jersey in 1965.

1974-1977: “New York” out, “Mets” in

In 1974, the Mets replaced the “New York” text on the front with the upward-slanting “Mets” script that they had previously only used on their home uniform.

1978: Pullovers and tri-color stripes

Mets Joe Torre Dale Murray 1978 road uniforms

The Mets’ home and road uniforms underwent their first major changes in 1978. Both were changed from button-downs to pullovers with three-stripe rings on the collar and both sleeves. While the road uniform remained gray, it no longer contained the blue stripes running down the jersey and pants.

1979-1981: Names on the back

The Mets’ road jersey looked the same from 1979 to 1981 as it did in 1978, but with one addition: the player’s last name written across jersey’s upper back.

1982-1986: The racing stripes

The Mets debuted their famous eighties-era racing stripes on their road uniform in 1982. Instead of the blue-orange-blue tri-color rings that had previously appeared on its collar and sleeves, the Mets’ road jersey now featured orange-blue-orange racing stripes that ran down the sides of the sleeves and pants. A year later, the Mets added the same racing stripes to their home uniform.

1982: The blue alternate

1982 Mets alternate road jersey GameWornGuides.com

In 1982, the Mets released their first road alternate, featuring an all-blue jersey with orange lettering outlined in gray. The uniform, worn only occasionally, combined elements of the team’s new primary road uniform and the one it had just eliminated. Specifically, the alternate featured orange-blue-orange tri-color stripes around the collar and sleeves, similar to those on the 1978-1981 roads. It also featured similarly colored racing stripes running down the pant legs, mirroring the look of the newly released road grays.

1983-1984: Variation on the blue alternate

The blue alternate was slightly modified for the next two years. The new version contained an orange-white-orange pattern on the collar and sleeves, as opposed to the previous orange-blue-orange. The new alternate also used gray lettering outlined in orange, the reverse of the lettering scheme used on the previous version. The blue road alternate was discontinued after the 1984 season, only to return to the Mets’ uniform rotation nearly 30 years later.

1987: The return of “New York”

In 1987, the Mets went back to using “New York,” instead of “Mets,” on the front of their road grays. The words appeared in a new script that lasted just one year.

1988-1990: Block letters and no numbers on the front

The following year, the Mets returned to using all-caps block lettering on the front of their road jersey, a style similar to the sixties’ and early seventies’ lettering. The team also removed the uniform number from the front of the jersey, and added a white outline to all of the letters, numbers, and racing stripes.

1991-1992: Return of the button-down

The Mets changed their home and road jerseys from pullovers to button-downs in 1991.

1993: The tail

After five years in block letters, the “New York” text on the front appeared in script lettering underlined by a tail extending from the “k.” The Mets also replaced the racing stripes with blue-orange-blue tri-color stripes on their sleeves and pants.

1994: Numbers back on the front

The tri-color stripes were removed, while uniform numbers were re-added, to the front of the Mets’ road grays in 1994.

1995-1997: Back to basics

From 1995 to 1997, the Mets used their classic road gray design, with “New York” written in block letters and two blue stripes on the front of the jersey, the sleeves, and the pants.

1998: The black alternate

In 1998, the Mets made black their third official team color. With the addition of a team color came a new black alternate uniform, complete with a blue “Mets” script outlined in white and orange on the front, and two blue stripes running down the jersey, sleeves, and pants.

1998-2011: Gray with black drop-shadow

A new team color also meant the addition of a black drop-shadow to the letters and numbers on the gray road uniform.

1999-2008: Variation on the black alternate

NLCS Game 3: New York Mets v St. Louis Cardinals

In 1999, the team replaced the “Mets” script on the front of its black road alternate with “New York” text in block letters. The black road alternate lived on for a decade before being discontinued following the 2008 season.

2012-present: Black is out

The Mets removed black as an official team color in 2012, resulting in the black drop-shadow’s removal from the road grays.

2013-present: Blue is the new black

After playing four years with no alternate road jersey, the Mets introduced a blue alternate in 2013. The jersey was designed just like the home grays, except that the lettering was gray with an orange outline, and the stripes on the collar and sleeves were orange instead of blue.