Father's Day is always a special celebration around the MLB as it is our dads who often introduce many of us to the game of baseball. Often using the color blue throughout the hats and jerseys to celebrate the occasion, some players took it a step further and customized their cleats to honor their fathers. No one had a cleaner pair than Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who paid homage to the Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero Sr.
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There have been 262 father-son duos who have gone on to play in the MLB, but none may smash the ball quite like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his legendary father Senior. The two became the first-ever duo to both win the Home Run Derby, Sr. accomplishing the feat in 2007 and Jr. getting it done in 2023. As the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Cleveland Guardians during the June 16 matchup, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rocked a custom pair of Nike sneaker cleats with artwork of himself and his father.
The custom cleats take the shape of a high-top Nike sneaker and feature dual themes of the Toronto Blue Jays on the left and the Montreal Expos on the right. The left Blue Jays pair features the blue, light blue, and white color scheme of their uniforms and the Blue Jays logo. Guerrero Jr.'s signature is seen on the outside toe along with images of the father and son throughout the upper. His nickname, “Plakata,” is seen on the inside collar. The term signifies “making solid contact, often a home run.”
The right cleat is themed for Sr. with the red, white, and blue color scheme of the Montreal Expos, which he played for from 1996-2003. The images along this cleat feature Guerrero Jr. as a child hanging out with Sr. while he played for Montreal. The shoes also are painted with the Expos' logo, Sr.'s signature, and “The Impaler,” Guerrero's nickname while playing in the MLB. Both cleats have “VLADDY” written on the back heel collar along with Vladdy Jr.'s logo below.
The shoes were crafted by XAMPLE and made exclusively for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. While he couldn't hit a home run for his dad, he was able to get on-base in all four of his plate appearances with one walk and three hits, driving in a runner in the process. The Blue Jays held off the Guardians' two runs in the ninth inning to seal the 7-6 victory. It was the ultimate gift for Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and we're sure these will be going in his trophy case, right next to all of his Hall of Fame hardware.
Be sure to check our Sneakers news for continued coverage of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s custom cleats throughout the season!
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