'Stros Unveil City Connects 2.0
"The Next Frontier", Houston Unveils Second City Connects
Three years ago, the Houston Astros unveiled their first-ever City Connect uniform, Space City. However, after three seasons of the team wearing it, it’s time for Houston to get a new uniform that highlights the city. That is exactly what Nike, Major League Baseball, and the Houston Astros did, unveiling the new uniform this week.
Uniform Origin
Nike and the Astros stuck to the theme of Houston’s nickname, Space City for their new City Connects, but rather than going with space like Houston’s former City Connect uniforms, the two sides went towards another path.
Houston is one of the biggest cities for space in the country, being home to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center— giving it the nickname of Space City. In their original City Connect uniforms, Houston went with a space theme, going with a navy uniform. However, Houston refers to the moon with their new City Connect uniforms, still connecting their city to space exploration.
The Details
The entire purpose of Nike’s City Connect Program is to connect the city and fans to their team. As a result, these uniforms almost always contain hidden features that have a connection to the city. Round 2 of Houston’s City Connect is no different, so let’s look at the details.
Across the front of the jersey is a wordmark that says ‘STROS, referring to the shortened version of Astros that many fans use inside of a star that looks similar to an old Astros logo that the club used from 1994-2012. This wordmark is also written in a futuristic font, referring to the role Houston has in the future of space travel.
Throughout the uniform, the same gradient of orange and yellow that was used in Houston’s 1st City Connect uniform is used. This gradient can be found in the star on the front of the jersey & on the sleeves and pants as piping. Paired with this gradient on the piping is a blue lunar pattern, which represents the moon landings and ties in one of the Astros' main colors of navy blue.
On the sleeve of the jersey, a special jersey patch is featured. This patch connects both the city of Houston and space exploration by combining two different topics to create one design. The patch is designed to be just like a mission patch, which astronauts wear on their suits. However, the patch looks like the Union Station logo, which is the train station that Daikin Park was built around.
Unlike a few teams, the Astros yet again received a never-before-seen logo for their cap. This time, the logo is a futuristic A that is created with a star design.
Houston is the 2nd team to receive a 2nd City Connect uniform (Los Angeles Dodgers) & they are the first of nine teams that will receive a new City Connect uniform throughout the 2025 season.
Overall, this uniform is amazing and is considered one of the best City Connects in baseball. Connecting the past and present of both the City of Houston, the Astros franchise, and space exploration, the uniform provides us with a lot of detail while still giving off a very clean look.