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Boston Red Sox Team Uniforms
Who sews the numbers on the jerseys, and more facts
by Bill Nowlin
More Red Sox lore:
More about Uniforms
Baseball Collectibles
Red Sox Fun Facts
The number worn by more Red Sox than any other is #15, worn by 52 players.
Until the 1931 season, the Red Sox didn't wear uniform numbers.
Red Sox in pinstripes? For much of the period between 1912 and 1931, both home and road uniforms were pinstriped.
Each player typically has eight regular uniforms: two of each style for home and two of each for the road.
Since 1969, one person, Valentina Federico, who works out of the Riddell All-American Sports shop in Somerville, Massachusetts, has sewn the numbers for all the Red Sox jerseys.
Newer synthetic fabrics, such as Majestic's Cool Base, are favored by many players today. Jacoby Ellsbury wears nothing else--but Big Papi has never worn it.
Riddell's Neil DeTeso has been picking up Red Sox uniforms after games and practices for 31 years; Frank Marshall has been laundering them for 29 years. Frank says that Kevin Youkilis's and Dustin Pedroia's uniforms get the dirtiest: He has to blow pine tar out of those pants with a pressurized hose.
All authentic player uniforms include these two sets of numbers, which indicate the size of the jersey (48) and the year it was made (09).
The Red Sox "B" cap has been navy blue since 1933--except for a brief flirtation with red in the mid-'70s.
Reader Comments
Comment from Barbara gAMMON on March 30, 2010
I am and have always been curious about how they get the team uniforms so clean! I was so happy to see this, but I would love to know what detergent they use! How can I get in touch with Frank Marshall to find out?
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