Another chapter is being written in the saga of Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani as he breaks ground on another one of baseball's first frontiers – the signature cleat game. Partnered with New Balance, Ohtani and the footwear brand will release the first signature cleat in the young MVP's career.

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At the start of 2023, Shohei Ohtani signed a multi-year multi-million dollar deal with New Balance, a huge brand in the MLB with an extensive baseball performance collection. It wasn't long before New Balance unveiled Ohtani's signature logo and embarked on a massive marketing campaign to promote him as the newest face of their baseball line. After a number of cancelled announcements and numerous prototypes, Shohei Ohtani's signature cleat is finally here – The NB Ohtani 1.

One of the highest-paid players in MLB history and one of the few players to have their own signature line, it's clear New Balance and Ohtani wanted to wait for the time to be perfect to showcase his first venture into the footwear game. New Balance unveiled the Ohtani 1 in a white and black edition, complete with gold New Balance logos to signify all the hardware Ohtani has won.

Shohei Ohtani worked closely with the design directors at New Balance to create a cleat that was perfectly tailored to his game, while paying homage to his roots and how he got started in baseball. Focusing on three core pillars – comfort, durability, ground feel – the cleats are unlike most in the New Balance baseball collection.

In Japan, players wear lower-cut cleats that hover closer to the grass/dirt, creating a true symbiotic relationship between the players feet and the ground. Utilizing New Balance's latest and greatest FuelCell technology, Shohei Ohtani wanted to have a similar midsole built into his signature cleat to ensure a natural, close-to-the-ground feel. The shoes also feature his signature New Balance logo along the heel, making these unmistakably and uniquely Ohtani's.

While Shohei Ohtani was wearing these through most of last season and during this current one, fans were unable to identify the cleats as his upcoming signature prototypes. The news is finally official and we'll see a public release of the cleats come July 2024. New Balance will also release a “de-cleated” or turf version of the sneakers made for lifestyle purposes.

New Balance Senior Manager Matt Nuzzo told MLB, “It's a time that's really transcendent for our brand. So having an athlete as transcendent as Ohtani? What a partnership.”

The New Balance Ohtani 1 will become available on July 15, 2024 for a retail tag of $120. Both the cleated and de-cleated versions will release on New Balance website and will be widely available in New Balance retailers. Overall, this is a historic chapter in Shohei Ohtani's career and we can't wait to see the reception these shoes receive once they're out in the wild.

What do you think of these? Would you wear these on the diamond?