Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Cleats Honor Padres Legend Tony Gwynn
Fernando Tatís Jr. paid tribute to San Diego Padres legend Tony Gwynn.
Any MLB fan who pays attention to footwear on the field knows that San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatís Jr. is in a league of his own. We are just a few weeks into the new season, and Tatís Jr. has already debuted seven of 50 exclusive custom cleats. Each pair seems better than the last, highlighting important moments in sports culture and history.
During last night's 9-8 win over the Chicago Cubs, Tatís Jr. went 2-4 with a home run, but it was his tribute to a legend that truly stood out. His custom cleats, a testament to his respect and admiration, honored Padres legend Tony Gwynn.
The cleats honored baseball icon Tony Gwynn. The Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee, also known as "Mr. Padre," played 20 seasons for the organization. During his legendary career, Gwynn was a 15x MLB All-Star, led the National League in hits for seven seasons, and accumulated a .338 career batting average, the highest of any player who began their career after WWII.
Widely regarded as the best pure hitter of his era, Gwynn created plenty of highlights in multiple iterations of the Padres uniforms. Tatís Jr.'s custom cleats were created using the two jerseys Gwynn wore during his time as a Padre.
Fernando Tatis Jr.'s "Mr. Padre" cleats.
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The yellow and brown cleat pays homage to the jersey colors San Diego wore during Gwynn's rookie season. Meanwhile, the classic white and blue pinstripe jersey from the 1990s served as the other inspiration.
The left cleat features #19, Gwynn's number that the Padres retired in 2004. He wore it for all 20 years while playing for the Padres. The right cleat will showcase his signature on the white and blue striped jersey.
Cleat seven of 50 in Tatís Jr.'s season-long collection was conceptualized by XAMPLE's CEO & Founder, Nick Drbal, and expertly crafted by SURGEON. Stay locked into FanNation Kicks for all your footwear news from the sports world and beyond.
Further Reading: Fernando Tatis Jr. turns custom Stephen Curry's sneakers into cleats for San Francisco series.