Riley Greene’s pants RIP after Tigers hero slides into home plate in fresh embarrassment for the Fanatics and Nike-designed MLB uniform – after fans and players mocked new designs

Riley Greene’s pants tore themselves apart after the Tigers outfielder slid into home base to score against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, as he freshly embarrassed Fanatics and Nike in the process, after complaints on the newly MLB uniforms from fans and players. 

The 23-year-old Greene, who was the fifth overall pick of the 2019 MLB draft, scored off a Gio Urshela single in Detroit’s 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but did not notice his pants being all torn up, as Zach McKinstry also came around after Michael A. Taylor’s throw to third base bounced into the dugout.

Greene’s pants ripped along the seam of his right leg, leaving a humongous gap in the material along his thigh, as show in viral footage on X. 

The player laughed off the tear in the Tigers’ bullpen but he did seem a little stunned over what happened to his uniform as he is heard shouting ‘are you kidding me?!’ to his teammates in another video circulating on X. 

MLB uniforms have been supplied by Nike since the 2020-21 season, however, the company licensed its manufacturing responsibilities to Fanatics. Early on, reviews of the Fanatics uniforms have been poor due to multiple wardrobe malfunctions and other incidents throughout spring training and the first month of the new season. 

‘I know everyone hates them,’ Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner back in February. ‘We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.’ 

MLB officials previously said these uniforms improve mobility by providing 25 percent more stretch and also will dry 28 percent faster. The lettering, sleeve emblems and numbering are less bulky in an attempt to make uniforms more breathable and comfortable. 

Commissioner Rob Manfred said during preseason that he expects criticism to fade.

‘In baseball, any new initiative, there’s going to be some negative feedback,’ Manfred said in February. ‘First and most important, these are Nike jerseys. So we entered this partnership with Nike because of who they are and the kinds of products that they use. Everything they’ve done for us so far has been absolutely, 100 percent successful across the board.

‘The jerseys are different. They’re designed to be performance wear as opposed to what has traditionally been worn. So they are going to be different, but they have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport.’