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Detroit Tigers players Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson react to City Connect uniforms
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- Detroit Tigers players Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson react to City Connect uniforms
CLEVELAND — Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene , who looks more and more like a franchise cornerstone player each day, adjusted the rear-view mirror while sitting in a 1957 Chevrolet 210.
The mirror showed his eyes.
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"Don't tell anyone this," Greene said. "I did not drive that car."
"I don't want to mess up a nice car," he added.
HOW TO BUY: Click here to purchase Tigers new City Connect uniforms with free shipping
The promotional video for the Tigers' City Connect uniforms cut to a snapshot of another set of eyes, flashing directly from Greene's eyes in the rear-view mirror of the vintage car to the "Tiger Eyes" near the belt line on the right side of the jersey.
A display of the Detroit Tigers 2024 Nike MLB City Connect series uniform sits on display in a locker room area during a special launch event at Comerica Park in Detroit on Monday, May 6, 2024.
The Tigers on Monday morning revealed their new Nike uniforms, which will debut Friday against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park . The Tigers will wear the City Connects on Friday and Saturday, then for every Friday home game throughout the remainder of the 2024 season, but manager A.J. Hinch isn't opposed to wearing them more often if there's a winning streak on the line.
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"I have never been the most superstitious guy," Hinch said, "but I will 100% buy into the City Connect momentum. If it creates any sort of opportunity to capitalize on wins, we're going to do it. We'll apologize about it later, if they get mad."
CITY CONNECT: Tigers' City Connect uniforms hit the street with plenty of automotive connections
The "Tiger Eyes" are one of many design elements on the new alternate uniforms, appearing on the jersey and the inside brim of the cap.
The other design elements include the "Motor City" typography on the front of the jersey, tire treads on the front of the jersey, a combined "M-1" and "313" patch on the sleeve, racing stripes on the sleeve and the "190135456884" VIN tag on the jersey, cap and batting helmet and jersey.
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"We didn't really know what to expect," first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. "I think we figured the theme would be 'Motor City.' I think the other candidate was 'Motown' or something, which would also be cool, but 'Motor City' is really cool."
"They're cool," Greene said. "The meaning behind it, I think, is really cool. There's the tire tracks and the numbers on the side. There are different things that mean something, and I think that's pretty cool."
The promotional video for the City Connect uniforms included active players Greene, Torkelson and Tarik Skubal and former players Lance Parrish , Craig Monroe , Dan Petry and Willie Horton , plus a special appearance from legendary rapper Eminem .
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THE RANK: Tigers reveal City Connect uniforms: Here's where it ranks among MLB's best
Greene stepped out of the 1957 Chevrolet 210 at The Michigan Building on Bagley St. in downtown Detroit, constructed in 1925. The promo video — similar to a music video — was primarily filmed at The Michigan Building, also one of the filming locations for the "8 Mile" movie.
"That indoor area, that's where they did the rap battle in '8 Mile,'" Torkelson said, "so it was really cool being on that set."
FANS REACT: Tigers fans split on new City Connect uniforms: 'I actually don't mind the jerseys'
As for the Tigers' City Connect uniforms, the jerseys are a combination of "pitch blue" and "hype royal" colors, while the pants are "pitch blue" — the darkest shade of blue in the Nike color wheel — with racing stripes running down the sides.
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"I've never worn dark pants," Torkelson said. "That'll be fun."
"It's different," Greene said. "It's different from our whites and grays, so I think it's cool."
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Both Greene and Torkelson answered questions about the promo video and the photo shoot — released Monday morning by the Tigers to promote the new City Connect uniforms — in the visitor's clubhouse in Cleveland before Monday's series opener against the Guardians at Progressive Field.
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Are you an actor now?
"Absolutely not," Greene said.
Are you a model?
"Not even close," he said.
Wenceel Pérez's illness
The Tigers scratched outfielder Wenceel Pérez from Sunday's game against the New York Yankees with an illness, and he wasn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game in Cleveland.
But Pérez is feeling a lot better.
"Rough 24 hours for him," Hinch said.
Pérez said he vomited "10 times" between Saturday night and Sunday morning after eating something Saturday in New York that upset his stomach. He was available off the bench for Monday's game, but he didn't start because the Tigers wanted to give him extra time to rehydrate following the illness.
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"Because of the issues," Pérez said, "I had a headache, too."
Gio Urshela injury update
Third baseman Gio Urshela (right hamstring strain) needs a rehab assignment in Triple-A Toledo before returning to the Tigers. His rehab assignment will begin soon, but not until he completes his running progression.
"He's going to run the bases here while we're in Cleveland," Hinch said. "Hopefully, that's a test he can pass, and we can get to mapping out the plan for him. We'll see. One step at a time."
Urshela is expected to complete his running progression Tuesday.
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He hasn't played for the Tigers since April 19.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Tigers think new City Connect uniforms are 'pretty cool'
