In 1946 the Cardinals returned to wearing zippered jerseys and the WW2 patch was removed from the uniform.
The only change in 1947 we notice is a small one. The socks worn in 1946 and earlier typically had a white ankle portion. In 1947 we noticed the socks were completely solid red.
The 1948 uniforms were unchanged from 1947.
In 1946, the Cardinals toyed with the idea of wearing uniforms made from shiny satin material. With the rise of night games, the Cardinals wanted to be better seen on the field. While the Cardinals had already bought the uniforms, manager Eddie Dyer decided not to wear the uniforms. Luckily one has survived.
The satin jerseys were manufactured by Rawlings in St. Louis. Satin jerseys were briefly used by a handful of MLB teams in the late 40s to enhance fan viewing with the advent of night games. It was believed that the reflective quality of the satin would be beneficial to fan viewing the game. They were extremely short lived and it is thought that the players disliked them. The National Baseball Hall of Fame has some examples of the Dodgers and Braves satins.
Why does the newspaper article talk about satin jerseys in 1946 but the Rawlings sample is marked as a 1948?
Team Colors
Cardinals Red – PMS 200
Vintage Yellow – PMS 1225
Navy Blue – PMS 288
Cardinals Uniforms & Logos 