The Seattle Mariners Will Honor A Negro League Team

 

The Seattle Mariners are ushering in a meaningful change for the 2026 season with their new "Steelheads Sundays" initiative, unveiled during FanFest at T-Mobile Park on January 31, 2026.

The team announced they will wear replicas of the Seattle Steelheads uniforms, honoring the city's 1946 Negro Leagues team, every Sunday home game. This replaces the cream-colored alternates the Mariners had used for Sunday home contests in recent years.

The black-and-white Steelheads-inspired look pays tribute to the West Coast Negro Baseball League squad that represented Seattle before integration in Major League Baseball. Notably, this makes the Mariners the first MLB club to incorporate a historic Negro Leagues uniform into their standard regular-season rotation.

As part of the announcement, the Mariners committed $500,000 through the newly created Steelheads Community Fund to support local Black-led baseball and softball initiatives, youth programs, and community efforts focused on access and well-being in underserved areas. The reveal featured a special moment with first baseman Josh Naylor modeling the new uniforms on stage, drawing cheers from the packed FanFest crowd.

Fans and media have reacted positively to the design, with many calling it a sharp upgrade over the previous cream Sundays. The move blends historical respect with on-field visibility and tangible community investment.