ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals will give away a “mystery-sized” jersey as a promotion this weekend against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cardinals will hand out a mystery-sized jersey to 25,000 fans who are ages 16 or older for Saturday afternoon’s game. The Cardinals’ website states the jersey will come in different sizes, from small to double-extra large and “you won’t know which you will receive until you walk through the gates.”
Weeks ahead of the giveaway, the promotion caused a stir among some baseball followers on social media, most notably on the X platform. There appear to be some concerns about how ticketed fans will receive a jersey suited to their size preferences. One baseball-themed X page even went as far to call the jersey the “dumbest promotional-night giveaway I’ve ever seen.”
The Cardinals have organized several mystery player giveaway jerseys over the years, and even held one of those promotions in May, but the mystery-sized jersey appears to be a new concept.
FOX 2 reached out to the Cardinals, seeking clarification on what led up to the decision for a mystery-sized jersey promotion. A spokesperson for the Cardinals issued the following statement:
“Saturday’s Adult Mystery Sized Cardinals Jersey gate giveaway, presented by Stifel, is an upgraded jersey with an embroidered logo patterned after our Saturday home alternate uniform. We think fans will enjoy the high-quality look of the jersey and want them to have the opportunity to get the size that fits them best.
“Although the Mystery Sized Jersey will come in different sizes (S-XXL), the club has taken the extra step to study retail trends in our Team Store over that last few seasons to ensure the proportion of jersey sizes given out at the gates reflect our fan’s preferences. Additionally, the team is promoting an organic jersey size exchange up in Budweiser Terrace that day for fans who wish to find a better fit.”
In reference to the Cardinals statement, for instance, if you’re more suited for one of the five specific giveaway jersey sizes that you didn’t get at the gate, you can make your way to the Budweiser Terrace to exchange for a more adequate fit.
The Cardinals have not disclosed how many jerseys of each size will be available to fans come Saturday.
A four-game home series with the Reds, which includes Saturday’s mystery-sized jersey giveaway game, begins Thursday. The Cardinals are currently 41-38 in possession of the National League’s second Wild Card seed.