May 29, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
The powder blues are finally returning from the war.
The Phillies' iconic powder blue jerseys were the team's primary road uniforms from 1972 to 1988. In 2018, the Phillies began wearing the throwback powder blue uniforms for every Thursday game at Citizens Bank Park.
Last season, the powder blue alternates were worn seven times: once in April, twice in May, once in June, once in July and twice in August. Those games were relatively evenly spaced, with the longest break between uses being 35 days. That five-week gap occurred three times, between April 11 and May 16, May 23 and June 27, and July 11 and Aug. 15.
2025's spacing hasn't been so kind.
The Phillies wore the powder blues twice in April and twice in May, with their last appearance being the first game of a doubleheader on May 29.
They will return Thursday, Aug. 28.
That is a whopping 13 weeks. That is 91 days without the powder blue uniforms.
That's a near unforgivable oversight by MLB's schedule makers. Obviously uniforms aren't the main factor in scheduling, but the Phillies' powder blue uniforms regularly rank at or near the top of MLB uniform rankings. They're revered in Philadelphia and appreciated nationwide. The uniforms themselves are good for business.
If you've had the thought of, 'huh, I wonder where the powder blues are,' you're not alone. Over the past 12 Thursdays, the Phillies have played on the road four times and not played at all on the other eight. They didn't play a single Thursday game in the entire month of July. Every week, complaints about the lack of powder blues have grown louder.
Interestingly, just like the 2024 Phillies, the 2025 Phillies will also play seven games in the powder blues. 2025's distribution is just much less even.
Along with the aforementioned four games in April and May, the Phillies have three powder blue Thursdays left: Aug. 28, Sept. 11 and Sept. 25. That's every two weeks for the rest of the season.
Well, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and if that's the case, the already beloved powder blue jerseys will be worshipped when they return Thursday evening against the Atlanta Braves.
