As the last few weeks of the regular baseball season begin, the inevitable is upon us: David Ortiz will say goodbye to the Sox as he enters retirement after the 2016 season. While Bostonians and beyond will celebrate his legacy for decades to come as the most clutch hitter in Red Sox history, Boston-based New Balance will make sure Team NB Athlete Big Papi goes out in style, as always: in each of his final four series in the 2016 season, he’ll wear custom New Balance baseball cleats inspired by each city: Baltimore, Tampa Bay, New York, and Toronto. For the final home game of the season on October 2, Papi will wear a fifth custom cleat in Boston Red Sox colors with the dates of all of his walk-off home runs printed on the toe.
Super fans of #34 can join in the celebration by snagging Made in USA lifestyle sneakers inspired by Papi’s on-field cleats. All shoes in the Walk-Off Pack will be available in limited quantities at newbalance.com/ortiz-walk-off-collection and at New Balance Boston (583 Boylston Street, Boston) with the exception of the Final Walk Off 998, which will be available exclusively at the Boylston Street store. Details about each cleat and the corresponding lifestyle shoe are below.
- Baltimore: The cleat worn while playing the Orioles will feature crab-themed elements in the Sox’s signature red on a grey newspaper-printed body (since newspaper is always laid out before cracking open some Baltimore crabs!) with, of course, an article about Papi. The corresponding Baltimore 574 will be available on September 19th for $159.99.
- Tampa Bay: The all-over grey body of the cleat is inspired by hammerhead sharks, as Tampa Bay is known to be home to many; pops of ice blue mimic the ocean where the sharks dwell. The corresponding Tampa Bay 574 will be available when the series against Tampa Bay kicks off on September 23rd for $159.99.
- New York: Ortiz will sport a bright yellow NYC taxi cab-themed cleat against the Yankees, featuring a black and white checkered pattern on the N logo and plated chrome elements to mimic a cab’s bumper. The corresponding New York 574 will be available on September 27th for $159.99.
- Toronto: The cleat will feature a maple leaf on the heel and an image of the Toronto skyline on the medial side of the shoe, as well as Toronto’s two area codes on the tip of each toe and Toronto’s nickname, “THE 6” emblazoned on the tongue. The corresponding Toronto 574 will be available when the series against Toronto begins on September 30th for $159.99.
- Final Walk Off: Big Papi’s Final Walk Off cleat will include New Balance’s “Walk Off 34” logo on the right foot and the dates of all of Ortiz’s walk off home runs on the left foot. The corresponding Boston 998 will be available for $199.99 beginning October 2nd.
New Balance will also release a limited edition “Walk Off 34” tee that will be available for $30 in limited quantities on NewBalance.com and at New Balance Boston, and will also re-release the highly coveted Fenway Zante V2 on Monday, September 19th – which was designed with Red Sox fans in mind – in limited quantities on NB.com and the Boylston store.