Tatis is showing off his cleat game this season
SAN DIEGO >> Fernando Tatis Jr. had Tony Gwynn with him when he rounded the bases after a dramatic, go-ahead home run against the Chicago Cubs earlier this month.
The San Diego Padres star stutter-stepped into third base with his right cleat, designed with the look of the team's home white pinstriped jerseys from 1998, when Gwynn led the Padres to their most recent World Series.
Tatis' left cleat was in the brown and yellow color scheme from the 1980s. Both cleats had “Mr. Padre” on the back to honor the late Gwynn.
Perhaps divine providence led Tatis to unveil those custom cleats on the 20th anniversary of the first Padres game at Petco Park, where a statue of Gwynn stands beyond the center field fence.
Or maybe it's just the swagger and flair that sets Tatis apart from most other players.
“Definitely the shoes,” Tatis said after helping turn an 8-0 deficit into a 9-8 win. “The power came from above.”
He's hoping to pull more inspiration from the ground up this season. Tatis plans to unveil 50 pairs of custom cleats in conjunction with his branding company, Xample, and Los Angeles-based Shoe Surgeon. The cleats will honor people, events and whatever strikes the 25-year-old Tatis' fancy.
“It's a crazy idea,” Tatis said. “We're definitely having fun with them.”
Tatis previously had a shoe deal with Adidas, but the company ended that days after MLB suspended him for 80 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in August 2022. Being a shoe free agent has allowed the dreadlocked Dominican to be creative and use different brands, although he favors Jordan 1 Mid cleats by Nike.
“I think that really made him more expressive in terms of really showing the world who he is,” Xample founder and CEO Nick Drbal said.
In 2019, MLB began allowing more colorful cleats. Tatis, along with Bryce Harper and a handful of others, have been at the vanguard of creativity.
Tatis unveiled his first custom pair during a two-game series against the Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea.
Tatis opened a series in San Francisco by wearing a pair of Stephen Curry's Under Armour basketball shoes that had been modified into cleats. The Warriors star personalized them with his favorite Bible verse, “I can do all things.”
Curry and Tatis connected through a mutual friend.
“It's kind of cool to see him wear it. One of one,” said Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP. “The love and respect from fellow athletes, guys that are — how old is he? — the fact that he felt a certain type of connection to me and my story knowing where he is and the profile he has now, I know his intention is good so that's pretty dope that he wanted to rock them with pride.”