Pirates' Dennis Santana wears shorts on mound during game causing MLB fashion stir

Maybe Dennis Santana has been following fashion tips from Paul Skenes' girlfriend Livvy Dunne.

The Pittsburgh Pirates 22-year-old ace and reigning NL Rookie of the Year had another dominating performance with six strikeouts and no earned runs in seven innings, making Rays hitters look bewildered, but closer Santana stole the show in the 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays with his dramatic new pants-less shorts look.

In Pirates all-black leggings underneath, the 28-year-old Dominican wore what definitely looks like a shorts version of the traditional MLB uniform.

The Rays broadcast team agreed, saying in the clip above, "They look like shorts to me."

Coming off the controversy of torpedo bats thanks to the New York Yankees, this has to be the fashion equivalent. The unwritten rules of baseball usually only exist on the field, but Santana has boldly taken it to the next level with his unique style.

Have you ever seen this style of baseball pants?? 😭

Dennis Santana’s “pants” had the Rays broadcast in disarray pic.twitter.com/3daKAKlBzI
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2025

Dennis Santana wearing DIY shorts on the mound 💀 pic.twitter.com/QyVwmW06tG
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) April 2, 2025

Skenes, for his part, also made his own bold fashion statement in a glam GQ photoshoot, most notably rocking a John Malkovich "Rounders"-like red tracksuit with his superstar partner and NIL multi-millionaire LSU gymnast Dunne, and their White German Shepherd Roux.

It'll be interesting to see if the MLB cracks down on this fit like they did torpedo bats. But given it was shared by their official twitter handle, at least in the short term, unlike the uniform police of the NFL, it seems like the league office isn't frowning on the shorts.

At least not for now. Give it a couple of days.

Paul Skenes — Apr 2, 2025: Raise your hand if you think wearing shorts on the mound is cool! | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images