Adidas Baseball is taking custom footwear to a new level with a series of custom cleats for the Dodgers’ Justin Turner and Astros’ Carlos Correa that narrates the story of the World Series “From the Cleats Up.” Game by game, Correa and Turner will each receive a custom-painted Boost Icon 3 that tells the story of the Series from both perspectives, done by artists from their respective cities.
(Game 1s for Carlos Correa, done by @captain_davey_jones)
During adidas’ climb from baseball ghost to the #4 cleat among MLB starters, there have been two constants in their approach: creativity and openness. “From the Cleats Up” is just another outstanding example of this.
(Game 1s for Turner, done by @chadcantcolor)
Whether you like the cleats or the artwork, you’ve got to LOVE the passion and intensity of Adidas Baseball’s reinvention. Where some have ignored the all-time high demand for self-expression, Adidas has embraced it.
That approach has paid off. From our bird’s-eye view, Adidas has contributed more to baseball style and culture than any other company since their resurgence.
Game 1s for Turner paid homage to Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, where Kirk Gibson hit the game winning home run. The cleats feature a tribute to Vin Scully’s call of the game from that moment – “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.”
Hm, sound familiar?
Buzzkill: neither player actually wore their game 1 cleats. It looked like Turner was in a Boost Icon 2, and Correa had some of his Astro-colored Icon 3 cleats on.
Why? Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is maybe they’d be fined. That really sucks, but ultimately, who cares?! Which of the Game 1s do you like best?
Here’s your first look at the Game 2s:
Some of the inspiration for Correa’s Game 2s came from Correa’s recent Instagram post.
The other side is a depiction of Correa and Altuve’s handshake, though you can’t really see Altuve (in fairness Correa is like 3 feet taller).
(Game 2s for Turner)
Granted, Justin Turner’s Game 1 cleats told the future, so there’s no way you’re topping those.
On second thought, the tongue plays and I change my mind.