2012 Major League Baseball season
The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on April 5 because during the MLB Spring Training it was the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
[1] On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and its players union was ratified, and as a result, an expanded playoff format adding two clubs would be adopted no later than 2013 according to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
[3] The restriction against divisional rivals playing against each other in the Division Series round that had existed in previous years was eliminated, as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees squared off in one of the best-of-five LDS in the American League.
The Civil Rights Game was held on August 18 at Turner Field, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the host Atlanta Braves, 6–2.
The San Diego Padres were the first team to announce changes to their logos and uniform set on November 9.
The new primary features the "SD" cap logo inside a navy circle with the words "San Diego Padres Baseball Club" encircling it.
Another secondary logo features the Padres script from last season below the depiction of Petco Park in sand and above the year of establishment; a blue and white version is used on the away and alternate uniforms.
The alternate blue uniforms feature the "SD" cap logo on the left chest with white piping.
November 15 saw the Baltimore Orioles redesign their road and home uniform sets and returned to a version of the cartoon logo used from the mid-1960s to 1988.
[128] As part of their golden anniversary season, the New York Mets modified their home and road uniforms to resemble the style worn in 1962, having their unveiling November 16.
In addition, the Mets have removed the color black from their batting-practice jerseys and caps; both will be blue with orange lettering/logos outlined in white.
The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled new uniforms on November 18, returning to a variation of their vintage logo used from 1977 through 1996.
The team/city name is arched above the secondary logo of the blue jay with the maple leaf, sans the baseball, situated on the left side.
[131] The Colorado Rockies replaced their purple road pinstripes with a more traditional solid gray uniform which was unveiled at RockiesFest in Denver in January 2012.
The Braves unveiled a cream (heritage white) home alternates based on the uniforms worn in their first season in Atlanta.
[133] The Royals unveiled minor tweaks to their light blue home alternate jersey, with all numbers and lettering now white with royal trim, and a revamped away uniform (changed to a darker blue-gray color and a revamped "Kansas City" script).
They also added a sleeve patch that says 'Angels Baseball' with the foundation year (1961) separated by the current logo in between.
As part of their 50th anniversary, the Astros will wear throwbacks throughout the season, including a game with Colt .45s uniforms.
The Red Sox and the Yankees wore 1912 throwbacks on April 20 to mark the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1982 World Series by wearing throwback uniforms on August 4.
The Cardinals also added a 30th anniversary patch commemorating their World Series victory, exclusive to their throwback uniforms.
The Chicago White Sox wore a variation of their home uniforms on September 7 against the Royals, as part of the "Halfway to St. Patty's" promotion.
The Athletics and Diamondbacks wore Spanish-language uniforms in celebration of Mexican Independence Day on September 16, against the Orioles and Giants, respectively.
The following teams will wear commemorative patches for special occasions: The Florida Marlins vacated Sun Life Stadium at the end of the 2011 season and moved into Marlins Park, which was built on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium.
With Shea's goal of bringing a second major-league team to New York successful, he abandoned the new league, which officially folded in 1960 without ever playing a game.
In honor of the Astros' 50th anniversary, they donned different throwback uniforms at home on Friday night themed to each decade.
Major League Baseball enters the 6th year of seven-year contracts it signed with its broadcast partners prior to the 2007 season.
Major League Baseball International will air in syndication the All-Star Game, the ALCS, and the World Series to global markets.
