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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen made waves this week for his latest baseball move — as well as his shoe choice for the occasion.
On Wednesday, Lorenzen was captured in new instagram post shared by ESPN and “Sports Center,” where he opted to not wear cleats. Instead, the pitcher laced into a pair of all-white Vans sneakers to throw a no-hitter: a game where one team prevents the other from recording a hit during its entire duration, according to ESPN.
Lorenzen’s shoes of choice, in fact, were Vans’ UltraRange Exo sneakers: a $100 style with monochrome white, rubber-toed style with recycled polyester and PET paneled uppers, cinched by matching laces and ventilated UltraCush tongues. The pair was complete with lightweight UltraCush Lite midsoles, as well as white rubber-wrapped reverse waffle rubber outsoles, for a comfort-focused finish.
Though baseball players often wear hard-soled cleats — their sport’s traditional shoe — while on the field, Lorenzen’s footwear is the latest instance of the MLB (Major League Baseball)’s changing rules towards athletes’ shoes. In 2018, as previously reported in Footwear News, the brand amended its prior rules that regulated the colors and designs of players’ footwear while on the field, following the NBA’s similar prior rule change.
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“Among other things, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to eliminate the previous rule that the majority of a Player’s on-field footwear must be in his Club’s designated primary shoe color. Instead, Players may wear shoes displaying any of the following colors, in any proportion: (i) black, white, and gray; (ii) any colors displayed on the Player’s uniform (and certain variations thereof); and (iii) any additional colors designated by the Player’s Club,” the new rules stated at the time.
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on celebrity style, brand collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Aaron wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
