Sleeves were optional when the Cincinnati Reds donned vintage jerseys for their game Sunday against the Cleveland Indians.
The Reds were wearing the uniforms the team had used for one year only in 1956 -- a look that featured a sleeveless, button-up shirt with the player's number on one side of the front and the club's "Mr. Redlegs" mascot on the other.
Most of the 1956 Reds wore red T-shirts under the jerseys to complete the look, but on Sunday several members of the 2019 team decided to follow the example of legendary slugger Ted Kluszewski and let their bare arms feel the breeze.
🚫 Sleeves 🚫#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/6Z3yF7BowD
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 7, 2019
"We wear caps a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶l̶e̶e̶v̶e̶s̶ at this level, son"#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/6ZYkU5WIR5
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 7, 2019
Joey Votto, Derek Dietrich, Eugenio Suarez and most of the bullpen were among those to show off their guns, but the effect was perhaps most effective on the bulging biceps of Yasiel Puig.
When Kluszewski joined the Reds in the 1940s, he famously cut off the constricting sleeves on his jersey so they wouldn't affect his swing. The change didn't seem to help the Reds' bats too much against the Indians on Sunday, however, as they lost 11-1.
The Reds are wearing throwback jerseys at 15 home games this season as part of the ballclub's celebration of its 150th anniversary. Players will have another opportunity to ditch the sleeves when they wear the 1961 style on July 21.