The Mariners looked very different on Saturday night as the team chose to simultaneously turn back the clock, and look ahead in the confusingly-named “Turn Ahead the Clock” night.
Here’s the story behind the Mariners’ amazing sleeveless jerseys
These are the best.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
What the heck am I looking at?
They’re sleeveless, NBA-esque jerseys the Mariners wore that are supposed to evoke a future image of what the organization thinks baseball will look like in the year 2027. It’s a comical look into the future similar to how The Jetsons was set in 2062.
What’s the history of this jersey?
The Mariners last wore their “Turn Ahead the Clock” jerseys in 1998, which explains why the look like mid-90s NBA jerseys. It was supposed to be a 20-year look ahead at baseball would look like in the future, which seemed to make sense at the time considering the design aesthetic of jerseys took a very futuristic turn in the mid-late 90s, but since then we’ve seen uniforms move closer back to basics, which makes the look dated now. But it’s so damn charming.
Here’s Ken Griffey Jr. in the uniform, which he wore against the Royals on that night.
Griffey Jr. imagined what he would be like in 2027, wearing a temporary tattoo of himself.
And Dee Gordon channeled Griffey’s look on Saturday night.
There’s one last piece to all this: We have nine years before the date of “Turn Ahead the Clock” is realized. The Mariners have almost a decade to plan. We need this. Please, make your jerseys for the entire season this throwback, throw-forward wonderland.
