Alex Cora reveals Red Sox' "structured" plan for alternate jerseys in 2024

BOSTON -- If you've followed the Red Sox over the past couple of years, then you know that the team has won a lot of games while wearing alternate yellow and blue jerseys. And you also know that it's created something of a superstition in the Boston clubhouse.

But change is coming to the wardrobe decisions made by the Red Sox, and the yellow City Connect jerseys will no longer be available in a "break class in case of emergency" situation for the team.

Manager Alex Cora said on The Name Redacted Podcast that the Red Sox are setting a schedule for their jerseys.

"We cannot rely on yellow whenever we suck," Cora said.

When they're playing at home, the Red Sox will wear their white jerseys from Sunday through Thursday, they'll wear their red alternates on Friday nights, and they'll wear the yellow City Connect jerseys on Saturdays.

On the road, it'll be gray jerseys every day except for Friday, when they'll wear the blue alternates.

"So it's going to be structured," Cora said. "Like on Saturdays, people know: City Connect. If you go, wear yellow to Fenway Park. Let's go."

The yellow jerseys debuted in April of 2021, with a color scheme that paid homage to the Boston Marathon. The analytics and sports data sites don't exactly track teams' records related to certain garments of clothing, but a Sporting News article in August of this year had the Red Sox at 22-4 when wearing the yellow jerseys. An ESPN radio article from Maine later in August had the record at 25-6.

Over the past two seasons, the Red Sox have ridden winning streaks while wearing the yellow and blue City Connect jerseys until the magic wears off. That look won't be disappearing, but the team is going to have to rely on pitching, hitting and defense to win games instead of the magic fabric that apparently is woven into those jerseys.