Major League Baseball was so close to avoiding an international incident but instead opted to go all-in on America for the all-star game.
While MLB spared the Toronto Blue Jays from the Stars and Stripes-themed jerseys that every other franchise wore on July 4 for U.S. Independence Day, the league will be running them back for next week’s festivities at the annual Midsummer Classic.
And this time, despite the Blue Jays being the lone franchise based outside the U.S., their players and coaches will be decked out as if they are based south of our border.
While this year the all-stars will be wearing their standard uniforms during the all-star game itself, during the Home Run Derby and other events, the players will be wearing the “Fourth of July” versions of their jerseys.
This obviously isn’t an issue with any other franchise except for the Jays, who wore their standard grey away jerseys against the Seattle Mariners along with the same red Canada Day hat the team wore on July 1.
Are the all-star jerseys for sale?
MLB recently unveiled the jerseys and put them up for sale on its website.
The official online shop for MLB also touts the uniforms as “bursting with stars-and-stripes pride,” which rubbed some Toronto fans the wrong way.
“Couldn’t pay me to wear a jersey with the USA 250 patch on it,” one user commented on Reddit.
The MLB site also used a templated description for the Jays items – which doesn’t make a lot of sense.
“Big league star power meets bigger history. This Nike Stadium Jersey brings All-Star spectacle to the birthplace of American independence. Your favourite Toronto Blue Jays standout is showcased on a design bursting with stars-and-stripes pride, a nod to the nation’s semiquincentennial.”
“USA 250 and 2026 All-Star Game patches sit on opposite sleeves, marking both the country’s milestone and the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia.”
The site has jerseys of Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — who opted out of participating this year after being voted in by fans — while Dylan Cease and Louis Varland versions currently only are available through the “Pick-A-Player” customization feature.
While the sight of seeing one of Vladdy’s Blue Jays jerseys featuring the Stars and Stripes may stun some fans, its price also will provide a shock for many. Guererro Jr. jerseys are listed as a “Special Event Item” and sell for $318.99 on the site — which is $94 more than the $224.99 that the other Jays jerseys cost.
What about the all-star hats?
Fans also weren’t too hot on the newly unveiled version of the workout hats for the all-star game.
While at first glance the hat appears to be fairly standard, the logo has a “fuzzy” look to it, which the MLB store describes as “premium chenille embroidery.”
“The logo looks terrible like that,” one user commented.
“Is it supposed to look moldy?” another asked.
“It’s so fuzzy. I want my logo to be crisp!” a third user wrote.