The Reading Fightin Phils unveiled throwback uniforms that pay homage to the home threads that the Phillies wore when they won their first title in 1980:
Our new Throwback Thursday Uniforms are here!
Inspired by the Philadelphia Phillies' 1980 retro uniforms, the new jerseys pay tribute to the R-Phils' long-standing relationship with the Phillies! pic.twitter.com/c3Vn7wKLnB
— Reading Fightin Phils (@ReadingFightins) November 21, 2024
These will be worn for Thursday games at FirstEnergy Stadium during the 2025 season.
They are inspired, of course, by the primary home uniforms that the Phillies wore from 1970-1991. If you want to get really technical, the version that had the squiggly line inside the "P" on the chest was worn from 1970-1972, and then again from 1987-1991:
Phillies 1987 home and road uniforms, via Dressed To The Nines, a Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit.Since 2018, the Phillies have worn their powder blue uniforms — which actually were the primary road uniforms from 1972-1988 — for Thursday games at Citizens Bank Park.
If memory serves me correctly, the last time the Phillies wore the home version of this era in a game came in June of 2016. On June 3, 2016 the Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers celebrated the 40th anniversary of the National League Centennial:
Phillies wearing painters hat, maroon for 70s night on June 3. pic.twitter.com/fy3IOz2kFo
— Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21) April 30, 2016
One of the issues with the Nike/Fanatics uniform setup that began in 2020 is that they've limited teams to four uniforms, and a fifth if the fifth is a City Connect uniform. That's why the Phillies ditched their red alternate/Spring Training tops last year. It's why the St. Patrick's Day uniforms haven't been worn in Spring Training the last two years. And it's why you don't see throwbacks like these at the MLB level anymore unless they are part of the permanent uniform rotation.
