ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Tampa Bay Rays revealed the designs for their Nike MLB City Connect uniforms and merchandise today. Known as the “Grit x Glow” uniforms, the look celebrates Tampa Bay’s deeply rooted counterculture scenes in skate, street art, streetwear, tattoo and music. From the murals of downtown St. Petersburg to the streets of Ybor City, the independent, underground spirit of Tampa Bay creates a culture that is bold, bright and vibrant.

“There's an energy and a vibe that makes this region unique,” said Warren Hypes, vice president of creative & brand. “The untold stories of our community are compelling, and the City Connect program gives us a chance to share them. We’re especially excited to celebrate Tampa Bay’s skate culture and shine a light on its role in history.”

The team will wear the Nike MLB City Connect uniforms for the first time during each of the three home games against the Mets (May 3-5), followed by every Saturday home game. The Rays will also be the first team in MLB to wear the Nike MLB City Connect uniforms on the road in collaboration with the Atlanta Braves on June 15 and the St. Louis Cardinals on August 7.

The front of the jersey reads “Tampa Bay” for the first time since 2007. The lettering pays tribute to the Devil Rays past with flame accents evocative of iconic skate imagery and street art.

The cap logo, dubbed the SkyRay, combines the team’s ray with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge representing the connections across Tampa Bay’s counties and communities. The bridge is officially located in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties.

The pelican and palms logo includes nods to the histories of both St. Petersburg and Tampa. The pelican, seen on the City of St. Petersburg's flag, also references its baseball history as home to the Florida State Negro League's St. Petersburg Pelicans in the 1940s and '50s. The three palms are an ode to the historic marker at Perry Harvey Sr. Park, home of the first public skatepark in the southeast.

Additional stylized logos and design features of the Nike MLB City Connect uniforms include:

• A skateboarding ray to represent the hard work and grit required of athletes to succeed in both skateboarding and in baseball.
• The jersey texture and color is designed to simulate a black shirt that has been weathered in the Florida sun.
• The mocked texture of skateboarding grip tape is shown on the detail of the jersey numbers and the underbill of the cap.
• Reminders of past colorful Devil Rays uniforms are seen in gradient accents on the jersey sleeves and pant seams. These accents are intentionally asymmetrical to capture the “against the grain” spirit it takes to break new ground.

Fans can shop the official Nike MLB City Connect merchandise at the Bay Republic Team Store located at Tropicana Field starting at 2 p.m. Today, fans can enter the store through Gate 1 to enjoy special photo opportunities, a DJ, a skateboarding demonstration and Rays mascots Raymond and DJ Kitty. The store will be open until 7 p.m. each day until the weekend series against the New York Mets (May 3-5), when normal gameday hours will resume.

The Rays City Connect Ticket Packs are also available starting today with multiple options for fans to customize their own. The packs start at $76 and are available in three, four or five games. Additional details are available at RaysBaseball.com/CityConnectPack.

On Thursday, May 2, the Rays will host a City Connect celebration event at the St. Pete Pier from 5-10 p.m. Highlights will include player appearances, live music, a live skateboarding demonstration, interactive games, food trucks, photo stations and a City Connect-themed Drone Show, displaying the uniform logos in the sky.

The Rays plan to host an event in partnership with Boards for Bros, the charitable arm of Skatepark of Tampa, that will include a skateboarding demonstration inside Tropicana Field before the game on August 10 vs. Baltimore Orioles. Details will be announced closer to the date.

Fans in attendance will receive Rays City Connect giveaways on select dates throughout the season, including a City Connect Skateboard Deck Art piece for the first 12,000 fans (May 24 vs. Kansas City), a City Connect Sneaker Keychain for the first 5,000 kids 14 and under (July 14 vs. Cleveland) and a City Connect Pete Fairbanks Bobblehead designed in conjunction with Fairbanks for the first 12,000 fans (July 28 vs. Cincinnati).

City Connect-themed Watch Parties are also scheduled for May 18 vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach, June 1 vs. Baltimore Orioles at Midtown Tampa and June 15 vs Atlanta Braves at Payne Park in Sarasota.

More information about the Tampa Bay Rays Nike MLB City Connect uniforms, the inspiration for the design, and related activities are available at RaysBaseball.com/CityConnect.