MLB Rules On Cleat Appearance Rankle Clevinger, Zobrist

Indians P Mike Clevinger received a warning from MLB about his cleats but "came back with his Mother's Day special pair of spikes for Saturday's start against the Royals." Clevinger got a letter Friday "warning him that the spikes he wore in his May 1 start against the Yankees were in violation of the dress code." Asked if he thought he would get fined, Clevinger said, "If they do, I'll find a good breast cancer awareness fund and donate it for Mother's Day. If they want to do that, I'll turn it into a positive" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/13).

Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist also ran afoul of league rules on cleat colors. MLB is "contending that Zobrist is in violation of a rule requiring no less than 51 percent 'of the exterior of each player’s shoes be the club’s designated primary shoe color.'" Zobrist posted on Instagram, "I am curious as to why @mlb is spending time and money enforcing this now when they haven’t done it previously in the last year and beyond. I have heard nothing but compliments from fans" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/13).

 

Dear @mlb, I still like you but this is rediculous. For the last two years, I have worn black spikes exclusively at Wrigley Field for Day games to pay homage to the history of our great game, and now I am being told I will be fined and disciplined if I continue to wear them. When I was a kid, I was inspired by highlights of the greats such as Ernie Banks and Stan Musial in the 1950s-60s and was captured by the old uniforms and all black cleats with flaps. @newbalancebaseball made a kid’s dream come true by making some all black spikes with the special tongue as well as the “Benny the Jet” @pf_flyers cleats. I am curious as to why @mlb is spending time and money enforcing this now when they haven’t done it previously in the last year and beyond. I have heard nothing but compliments from fans that enjoy the “old school” look. Maybe there is some kid out there that will be inspired to look more into the history of the game by the “flexibility” that I prefer in the color of my shoes. Sincerely, Ben Zobrist

A post shared by Ben Zobrist (@benzobrist18) on May 12, 2018 at 10:02am PDT