Pirates’ New City Connect

The Pittsburgh Pirates just swapped out their bright-yellow City Connect look for an almost all-black uniform, and the first thing most fans noticed was the chest: “PIRATES” is back, replacing the old “PGH” front from the 2023 version. (news.sportslogos.net) This is the second round of Major League Baseball’s City Connect program for Pittsburgh, not a first try. Major League Baseball said teams can rotate to a new design after three years, and the Pirates were one of eight clubs to unveil a 2026 refresh on April 9, 2026. (mlb.com) (about.nike.com) The new design keeps Pittsburgh’s black-and-gold color identity but darkens almost everything else. SportsLogos described the change as black cap, black jersey, and black pants, with gold used more like trim than paint. (news.sportslogos.net) The pirate-flag part shows up in the details instead of across the whole jersey. The sleeve patch uses the club’s Jolly Roger logo with a red bandana, crossed swords, “PGH,” and “1887,” which is the franchise’s founding year. (news.sportslogos.net) The lettering is doing city work too. Major League Baseball said the pirate-style wordmark was shaped to echo Pittsburgh’s three Sister Bridges over the Allegheny River, including the Roberto Clemente Bridge beside PNC Park. (mlb.com) (news.sportslogos.net) The team kept one line from the first City Connect set and moved it where only players really see it. “We Bleed Black and Gold” now sits inside the back collar, while the new jock tag says “PITTSBURGH.” (news.sportslogos.net) There are two hat options, and both lean into the same pirate-head mark. One cap is black, and the other uses a gold crown with a black visor, but both put the red-bandana pirate over crossed swords on the front. (news.sportslogos.net) The Pirates are not waiting long to put them on the field. The club said the uniforms will debut on Friday, April 17, 2026, when Pittsburgh hosts the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park. (mlb.com) Nike said these 2026 City Connect uniforms were built with local input and are meant to stay in each team’s rotation for multiple seasons. In Pittsburgh’s case, that meant keeping the city’s usual colors and changing the silhouette, so the update feels less like a costume and more like a night-game version of the Pirates’ regular identity. (about.nike.com) (mlb.com) That is probably why the reaction landed better than a lot of City Connect launches do. The Pirates did not invent a new color, a new nickname, or a new skyline script; they took the same black-and-gold idea from 2023 and made it sharper, darker, and more obviously pirate-themed. (news.sportslogos.net) (mlb.com)