Yankees Pitcher Nestor Cortes Just Raised The Cleats Bar With His Jean Cleats

If you heard a weird clunking noise on Saturday afternoon, that was the sound of George Steinbrenner rolling in his grave when New York Yankees pitcher Netor Cortes took the mound wearing a pair of jean cleats.

Yes, you read that correctly. Like jean shorts, but cleats.

Cortes was new cleat goofin' when he took the mound in Fort Myers against the Minnesota Twins.

Those are… those are interesting. They look like something Jay Leno would wear if he was pitching for The Tonight Show softball team.

"I told him I wanted to go denim," Cortes said about designing the cleats, which he did along with Miami artist Marcus Rivero, AKA Soles by Sir. "I didn't know he was going to go out all that much."

Was there some magic in those Canadian tuxedo-style cleats?

There was not. Cortes pitched 3⅓ innings giving up 6 earned runs, 9 hits, and a walk, but he did strike out six in the Yankees' 10-7 loss.

"I think they look better from afar; that’s my opinion," Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said after the game, per MLB.com. "But they were creative and unique. I’ll give them that."

There's no doubt that the denim kicks will be polarizing. I just can't get over the fact that they were born by a Yankee in the first place.

Imagine, if it had happened during the aforementioned George Steinbrenner's reign. All those rules about both head and facial hair and you think he'd be pumped about some guy hitting the field in denim cleats?

Hell no.

But good on Cortes for trying something fun. Traditionalists won't want to hear it but baseball needs some more of this fun stuff. 

It's spring training so who cares? Let's see some dude take the mound in flip-flops like John Daly throwing out a first pitch and it wouldn't be a big deal.