Why is there a poppy patch on MLB uniforms today?

Monday, May 27 marks Memorial Day, a time for honoring those brave souls who have lost their lives while serving in the military.

The focus should always be on the fallen, but Memorial Day is also a time to cherish those joys in life that those soldiers died to protect. One of those joys is baseball.

Teams across MLB will celebrate Memorial Day in their own ways across the country on Monday, but all of them will have one particular way of honoring the day: Wearing a patch depicting a poppy.

Why are MLB teams wearing a poppy patch on their jerseys on Memorial Day?

The poppy has been associated with wartime remembrance since the end of World War I. That association is linked to the war poem "In Flanders Fields," which references the tendency of the poppy to grow on disturbed ground.

"Poppy Days" were established in the U.S. to raise money for charities associated with WWI veterans, their widows and their orphans. If you're a fan of Premier League soccer, you'll have seen similar poppy patches on jerseys when the UK marks their Remembrance Day in November.

So, MLB's poppy patch is drawing on that same imagery with a banner reading "lest we forget" crossing over the front of the flower.

MLB teams have worn these patches each year since 2019, when the league opted for a more understated uniform change on Memorial Day. Now, major changes like camo jerseys and hats are reserved for Armed Forces Day, which is a holiday dedicated to the armed forces and not specifically the fallen.

The poppy patch or uniforms with it displayed will not be sold at retail.

Along with the poppy patches, teams will stop for a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. local time in a "unified moment of gratitude." If warm ups or the game takes place after 3:00 p.m. local, there will be a moment of silence before the national anthem instead.