Everything you needed to know about the blue jacket and the Blue Jays that have worn it

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This article was published 18/09/2021 (1500 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s the hottest accessory of the season.

The Blue Jays’ home-run jacket made its runway — er, dugout — debut a little more than seven weeks ago and quickly became the most talked-about fashion trend in Toronto sports, earning admirers and copycats alike.

Here’s all you need to know about a style the Jays hope will transition seamlessly from summer to fall.

• The name: The blue jacket

• The genesis: It was dreamed up by Jays bilingual player interpreter Hector (Tito) Lebron, who was inspired by the Masters’ green jacket, given to the winner of the storied golf tournament. “I think, at that moment, we were leading the league in homers … so we need something here,” Lebron says in a Jays video about the jacket. Lebron asked outfielder George Springer to present the idea to the players. Needless to say, they were on board.

• The look: The navy blue blazer reads “Blue Jays HR club” on the right breast, and “The Blue Jacket” down the right arm. Pockets on the front of the jacket are both emblazoned with the words, “Los Barrio,” which means “the neighbourhood” in Spanish. There’s a nod to Lebron, the creator, on the cuff off the left sleeve that reads, “It’s a Tito Thing.”

The back of the jacket features a large Jays logo surrounded by the names of 16 countries, like Canada, the United States and the Dominican Republic, representing where Toronto players come from as well as nations who love the game.

“It brings our countries together, it brings our cultures together,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández says in the video. “I think that’s part of us showing support to everybody, to show that we can stick together and if we stick together we can do special things.”

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Underneath that colourful collage reads “La Gente Del Barrio,” which translates to “people from the hood,” Lebron says, and represents the community the Jays have built, and celebrate whenever someone wears the jacket.

Few players can keep from using the dugout as a catwalk, striking their most iconic pose for the broadcast cameras at the end of the “runway.”