MLB Kicks of the Week: Aaron Judge wears special Jordan 11s

ByJerry Jiang ESPN logo
Monday, April 15, 2024

The MLB season is well underway, and some players have shown off their flashy side with custom cleats.



Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was asked by the MLB's social media team who he thinks has the best shoe game in the league. He named a few players -- but most notably highlighted San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.




On April 5, Tatis rocked a custom pair of Under Armour Curry 4s retrofitted for the diamond that took the internet by storm. Tatis has already shown quite a display of custom shoes during the early weeks of the MLB season.



But it's not all Tatis. Here are the best cleats worn in the MLB this week:



Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers


Ohtani is known for his unique dominance as a two-way player, but his shoe game might surprise a few people too.



While playing against the Padres on Sunday, the Japanese superstar described his pair of New Balance shoes in English to ESPN.



"Like a white and Dodger Blue," Ohtani said. "And the soles are so flat. They're more comfortable. And my logo, and the New Balance logo."



The Dodgers went 1-3 in their series against the Padres over the weekend. Ohtani's best game in the series was L.A.'s 8-7 loss on Friday, where he went 3-for-5 and had one home run with an RBI.



Aaron Judge, New York Yankees



The Yankees' towering right fielder rocked a special pair of Jordan 11 cleats over the weekend.



Judge has slowly become the new face of the brand on the MLB side, after he sported the Jordan 1 lows throughout spring training.



The Yankees went 2-1 in their weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians.



Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres


Tatis rocked a pair of special custom cleats over the weekend.



The right fielder paid tribute to his father, Fernando Tatis Sr., when he faced the Dodgers this past weekend. The name Tatis was shown on the inside of the shoes, and it was decorated with floral patterns.



Tatis Sr. had an 11-year career and had two grand slams in one inning versus the Dodgers.



Tatis Jr. also honored Tony Gwynn, who was known as Mr. Padre, by wearing mismatching pairs.




Los Angeles Dodgers


In a special collaboration with Nike, the Dodgers received a special gift from Vanessa Bryant -- the widow of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.



On the eighth anniversary of Bryant's last NBA game, Vanessa sent the Dodgers their own Kobe 8 colorway. Bryant was a fan of the Dodgers, going to games with his family.



The couple's oldest daughter, Natalia, threw out the first pitchon Sept. 1, 2023, during Lakers Night at Dodgers Stadium.



Max Clark, Detroit Tigers


The Tigers' No. 1 prospect kept the receipts from his doubters in a unique way.



Clark wore a pair of red and blue Adidas cleats with quotes from real tweets spread throughout the red pair. The blue pair detailed the opposite with praise.



Clark is currently playing for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the Tigers' Single-A affiliate.

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