Why Rays are wearing their old logo on hats in ALCS

If you haven’t seen much of the Tampa Bay Rays this season and are confused by the caps they’re wearing for Sunday night’s ALCS Game 1, you’re not alone.

The Rays’ Game 1 caps don’t feature the team’s usual “TB” logo. Instead, they depict the old Rays logo that the franchise originally entered the league with in 1998. That’s in spite of the fact that the actual uniforms are the team’s usual light blue alternates with their newer design.

So what’s the deal? This is actually the Rays’ usual attire for Sunday home games. The retro caps were introduced in 2018 for the franchise’s 20th anniversary, and they’ve remained in regular rotation since then. Since the Rays are listed as the home team for Game 1, they’ve simply stuck with their regular uniform rotation.

Expect to see the more traditional caps return for Game 2 and beyond. And we definitely won’t be seeing these things at any point in the playoffs.