This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers City Connect uniforms are here and they aim to do exactly what the franchise itself has done for the last 50 years: be the -- ironically -- connection between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. 

The Rangers partnered with Nike to dive deep into the Metroplex’s rich baseball history and create these uniforms. They borrow elements from a trio of Minor League teams that led the way for the Rangers’ own existence: the Panthers, the Eagles and the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs.

“We wanted to celebrate and educate the fanbase,” said Rangers senior vice president of marketing Travis Dillon. “It's about how and why we got here, where we are today.” 

The old-English lettering spelling TX on the hat is a nod to the Dallas Eagles, who used the same style on their caps. The spur logo around the state of Texas featured on the socks and embroidered at the hip of the pants is also a direct nod to the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs, who used that same logo throughout their existence.  

The mythical-looking creature on the shoulder patch came to be known as the “Peagle” during the design process. It combines the designs of the  Fort Worth Panthers (who soon became the Cats) and the Dallas Eagles into one mascot.

The numbers 4-21 are embroidered into the side of the hats and on the inside of the jerseys, representing one of the most important days in Texas history: San Jacinto Day -- the anniversary of the final battle of the Texas Revolution when Texas won its independence from Mexico. It also is the anniversary of the Rangers' first game in Arlington in 1972.

Rangers players are more than excited to don the new uniforms and represent the history of the state of Texas  when they return home from a road trip between Houston and Kansas City.  

A number of players, including Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jacob deGrom, Josh Jung and more had already worn the uniforms when participating in a promotional photoshoot during Spring Training. While the entire team had seen the designs previously during a presentation in camp, putting them on for the first time at Globe Life Field will be a new feeling. 

“I think it's an incredible opportunity for the Rangers to get the City Connects and I can't wait to put them on when I get the chance,” said outfielder Robbie Grossman. “I know a lot of thought and time goes into it and like I said, I'm just excited to put them on. It’s an interesting concept we came up with and I know a lot of time and energy was put into it. I’m looking forward to putting on the uniform and seeing them on the field.” 

Aesthetically, the uniforms will feature cream jerseys with “midnight blue” hats and pants and red accents throughout. Midnight blue is a color Nike specifically uses that is darker than navy but still not quite black. Immediately, the pants maybe been the most eyebrow-raised aspect of the uniforms for the players. 

“They look cool,” said reliever Jonathan Hernandez. “The only thing for me I think is the pants, the color isn’t my favorite color, but I like the jerseys. I like the styles on it, so they look really good. [The story behind them] is pretty cool, uniting those two larger cities, you know? That's pretty amazing isn't it? You don't see that everywhere, so I'm happy to wear something that means a lot of history.”

The Rangers will debut the City Connect collection on the field on Friday night -- April 21, the anniversary of the club’s first game in Arlington in 1972 -- against the A’s. They will wear them Saturday as well, and then every Friday home game for the rest of the season.