The Toronto Blue Jays first wore black jerseys in the 2011 season as part of their updated uniforms and color scheme. The black jersey became an alternate jersey worn for Friday home games.
When did the Blue Jays first wear black jerseys?
The Blue Jays unveiled black alternate jerseys prior to the 2011 season. The new black jerseys were part of a uniform redesign for the team that also included a return to a blue “blue jay” logo, updating the previous logo that had been used since 2004.
In November 2010, the team announced the uniform changes for the upcoming season. This included the introduction of the alternate black jersey that would be worn during Friday home games. The first game that the Blue Jays wore the new black jerseys was on April 1, 2011 for their home opener at Rogers Centre against the Minnesota Twins.
2011 Blue Jays Uniform Changes
In addition to the new black alternate jersey, the 2011 Blue Jays uniform changes included:
- Updated blue jersey with blue jay logo instead of previous logo
- New white home jersey with blue jay logo
- Return of blue caps with blue jay logo
The updated logos and uniforms were meant to connect back to the franchise’s early history and colors. The return of the blue jay logo had not been used regularly since 2004 and the renewed emphasis on different shades of blue was meant to evoke the World Series winning teams of the early 1990s.
First Game With Black Jerseys – April 1, 2011
For the April 1, 2011 home opener against Minnesota, the Blue Jays took the field at Rogers Centre wearing the new black jerseys for the first time. Over 45,000 fans were in attendance and saw Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero take the mound against the Twins.
The Blue Jays would win the game 3-0 over the Twins, giving a celebratory first victory to the new black jersey. Outfielder Jose Bautista and first baseman Adam Lind each hit solo home runs during the game.
When did the Blue Jays stop wearing black jerseys?
The Blue Jays wore the black alternate jerseys from 2011 through the 2016 season. Starting in 2017, the team removed the black jersey as part of some uniform changes that included adding a red alternate jersey instead.
Here is a summary of the Blue Jays black jersey timeline:
| Year | Black Jersey Usage |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Unveiled as new alternate jersey, worn for Friday home games |
| 2012 | Continued use as Friday home alternate |
| 2013 | Worn as Friday home alternate |
| 2014 | Worn as Friday home alternate |
| 2015 | Worn as Friday home alternate |
| 2016 | Final season worn as Friday home alternate |
| 2017 | Black jersey discontinued, replaced by red alternate |
So the black jerseys were worn by the Blue Jays for six seasons from 2011 to 2016 before being retired. The last game with the black jersey was on September 30, 2016.
Reasons for Discontinuing Black Jersey
There are a few speculated reasons why the Blue Jays retired the black jersey after the 2016 season:
- Wanted to add the red alternate jersey instead, limited to only one alternate jersey
- Black was not an historic team color, red had more history with franchise
- Fan response to the black jerseys was mixed, some disliked the non-traditional color
The addition of the red alternate provided a change while connecting back to the team’s history with versions of red uniforms in the 1980s and 1990s.
Who wore number 42 as a black jersey for the Blue Jays?
The number 42 has a special significance in Major League Baseball as it was retired league-wide in 1997 to honor Jackie Robinson. Robinson famously wore number 42 during his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African-American player in the MLB.
After the league-wide retirement, only select active players who had already been wearing number 42 were allowed to continue using it until they retired.
For the Blue Jays, relief pitcher Darren Oliver was the only player to wear number 42 during the black jersey era from 2011 to 2016.
Darren Oliver’s Career Wearing #42
Darren Oliver first wore number 42 as a young pitcher with the Texas Rangers in the 1990s. He wore number 42 with the Rangers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Rockies, Astros, Mets, and Angels before signing with Toronto in 2011 at age 40.
As the only Blue Jay wearing Jackie Robinson’s retired number 42, Oliver wore it with the black jersey from 2011 until 2013. In May 2013 at age 42, Oliver announced that season would be his 20th and final in Major League Baseball. After his retirement, no Blue Jay wore number 42 again.
| Year | Player Wearing #42 |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Darren Oliver |
| 2012 | Darren Oliver |
| 2013 | Darren Oliver (final season in MLB) |
Oliver made 245 appearances wearing #42 for the Blue Jays over his three seasons in Toronto from ages 40-42. He had an era of 2.84 during that span helping anchor the bullpen.
Did the Blue Jays ever wear black jerseys before 2011?
No, the 2011 season marked the first time ever that the Toronto Blue Jays wore a black jersey. While they experimented with some different uniform styles and colors over the franchise history, black had never been used on their uniforms until the 2011 alternate jersey debut.
Blue Jays Uniform History Pre-2011
Here is a quick overview of the main uniform looks for the Blue Jays before introducing black in 2011:
- 1977-1988: Traditional home whites and road gray jerseys. Blue caps with white front panels.
- 1989-1996: Introduced blue jerseys at home with matching solid blue caps. Still had white and gray uniforms too.
- 1997-2010: Variations of blue jerseys and caps throughout. White, black, and gray uniforms mixed in at times.
During those early decades, the team colors were limited mostly to combinations of blue, white, gray, and occasionally red accents. But black had never been a part of the jersey or cap designs.
So the 2011 black alternate jersey marked a completely new uniform concept in franchise history. It gave the team an edgier look for Friday games for several seasons before going back to more traditional styles.
Conclusion
The Toronto Blue Jays first introduced black jerseys in 2011 and wore them as an alternate jersey on Friday home games through the 2016 season.
Relief pitcher Darren Oliver, wearing the retired number 42, sported the black jersey from 2011 until his final MLB season in 2013.
Prior to 2011, the Blue Jays had never worn the color black on their uniforms. The black jersey era only lasted for six seasons before the team moved on to different uniform styles.
While not a traditional Blue Jays color, the black jerseys from 2011-2016 represented an interesting alternate look for a period in the franchise history. It gave fans something different to look forward to wearing on Friday nights at Rogers Centre.
