Houston Astros 80's era pull over knits

[martyfromcanada]

Recently won a Terry Puhl Astros '86 pull over knit jersey. When I got the jersey it seemed very small. It was won in a Heritage Auction, and is fully guaranteed authentic. The only other '80's jersey I own is a Calgary Cannons 88-89, supposedly worn by Omar Visquel. Both are size 42. I get why Omar's would be size 42, but Terry was 6"2 in '86. Also, the Astro jersey has next to no tail, I see in other photo's they wore their pants high, and with a large red waistband, but am still unsure why the knits length is so short. Just curious if anyone has any insight on the jersey in question. I've attached the auction sites photo and a couple of the comparisons with the Calgary jersey for reference.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Marty

[Sulross]

Re: Houston Astros 80's era pull over knits

I wondered the same thing about my Terry Kennedy '83 Padres jersey. He was a big guy but the jersey is only 42 or 44. Still, it's graded MEARS A10 so presumably it's consistent with the sizes he was wearing at the time. Everything fit so tightly in the '80s so maybe that has something to do with it.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Houston Astros 80's era pull over knits

Until the late 1980s or thereabouts, sizing seemed to be determined differently by MLB uniform suppliers. Back in that era and before, 42 and 44 were the most common sizes. For contrast, here are some sizes of players who played in both eras.

Wade Boggs: 42 (rookie), 48 (Tampa Bays)
Ryne Sandberg: 42 (rookie), 46 (1994)
Tony Gwynn: 44 (1980s), 50 (2001)
Ozzie Guillen: 38 (rookie), 44 (end of career)
Greg Maddux: 38 (1987), 48/50 (end of career)
Robin Yount: 40 (1975), 44 (1993)

Some of that may be due to the players getting bulkier as time goes on, but not all of it.

Tightness of uniforms also has a role to play. As for the Astros, the tapered, flat tail is normal for Sand-Knit and Goodman jerseys from the Rainbow style (1975-86).

Dave Miedema

[martyfromcanada]

Re: Houston Astros 80's era pull over knits

Thanks for the info!

Marty.