Nationals, Wizards Debut Cherry Blossom Uniforms: Take An Exclusive Patch Survey

WASHINGTON, DC — Springtime in Washington, D.C. means two things: the blooming of the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin and the return of the Washington Nationals' for the start of the new Major League Baseball season.

On Tuesday, the Nationals celebrated the start of the new season by unveiling special uniforms featuring cherry blossom petals and branches, along with the city's flag. The team will wear the uniforms during select games over the course of the 2022 season, starting with its home-opening series against the New York Mets on April 9-10.

(What do you think of the new uniform? Take Patch's survey at the bottom of the story. This is not a poll, but an informal snapshot of reader opinion.)

The effort is part the Nationals' partnership with the Nike MLB City Connect Series, which is aimed at showcasing the team's link to its hometown. The District's National Basketball Association franchise, The Wizards, debuted its own cherry blossom uniforms on Tuesday. To view a gallery of Wizards players wearing their cherry blossom uniforms visit the Wizards page on NBA.com.

“Washington D.C.’s cherry blossoms represent hope and new beginnings, making them the perfect symbol of this Nationals team,” said Mark D. Lerner, managing principal owner of the Washington Nationals, in a release. “We’re excited to unveil these beautiful uniforms as the embodiment of our historic organization’s hopeful future as we lead the District of Cherry Blossoms celebration with our friends at the Wizards.”

The Wizards wore their NBA City Edition jersey during Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Bulls at the Capital Center.

"Our great partnership with Nike and the Nationals and the timing of D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival have allowed us to be the first NBA team to announce our 2022-23 City Edition uniform," said Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chief Marketing Officer Hunter Lochmann, in a release on Tuesday. "We know Wizards fans have been asking for a Cherry Blossom jersey for some time, so we are glad it’s come to fruition.”

The Wizards's City Edition uniform features gradients of white, pink and blue, symbolizing the colors of the cherry blossoms and the water of the tidal basin. The uniform will include three blossoms that represent the three stars on the District's flag. Information about purchasing the Wizards's 2022-2023 NBA City Edition jerseys is available online.

The Budweiser Clydesdales delivered City Connect merchandise, including the replica cherry-blossom uniforms and caps, to the Nationals Team Store on Wednesday morning. The merchandise is also exclusively available for sale at the team store, MLBShop.com and neweracap.com through Tuesday. On April 5, they will be available for purchase at Nike online and select retail outlets before going into wider release on Sunday, April 10.

What do you think about the Nationals and Wizards' uniforms? Are they a home run in or a strike out in the case of the Nats, or a slam-dunk or air ball for the Wizards? Patch wants to know. Let us know your thoughts about the cherry blossom uniforms by taking Patch's informal survey. We'll share the results in a future story.