Leg up: New fusion socks to debut at ASG

It was nearly 150 years ago that, according to the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper, “the Cincinnati nine wore the uniform introduced by Harry Wright, viz.: red stockings, knee breeches and white flannel shirts and caps, then quite a novelty.”

That was a key moment in the history of socks, alongside the ancient Greeks’ wearing of them in eighth century BC; the 1589 invention of a knitting machine that meant they could be made six times faster than by hand; the introduction of nylon in 1938; and players like Houston’s Jose Altuve legging out extra bases in 2016 with colorful calves and new designer styles.

Major League Baseball announced a long-term global partnership on Monday with Stance to make it the official sock of MLB and to bring a brand-new look to this year’s All-Star Week in July at San Diego’s Petco Park. It not only raises expectations that fans will see many of their favorite players in splashing styles of lower legwear at the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and the 87th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard, but it also signals a high-sock renaissance.

“Socks were a forgotten piece of apparel and completely overlooked as a piece of technical equipment,” said Taylor Shupe, Stance co-founder and chief product officer. “There hasn’t been any real innovation in the space despite how important socks actually are in achieving comfort and function to protect the foot. This particular sock is going to open the eyes of a lot of players to what they’ve been missing out on.”

Eyes are opening as they did when Wright’s Cincinnati Red Stockings took the field against the Nationals in Washington that day in 1867 — paving the way for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox and a tradition that can never be covered up for long.

Little by little, inch by inch, the pant leg is being pulled up around baseball — a fast fashion movement. Most players still pull their pant legs down around their heel, some so garishly that you can see holes torn around the cuff where they get caught on the player’s cleats. Some players mix high and low, and some are making the high sock a sartorial signature as surely as Jackie Robinson’s blurred legs scampering around the bases as an American icon.

Stephen Strasburg, Ichiro Suzuki, Francisco Lindor, Ian Kinsler, Nick Castellanos, Curtis Granderson, Adam Jones, Chris Archer, Sonny Gray, Felix Hernandez, Brett Gardner, Hunter Pence, Xander Bogaerts, David Wright, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Kevin Pillar, John Lamb, Trevor Story, Daniel Murphy, Neil Walker, Jason Heyward, Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson and even Stomper the A’s elephant mascot are among those who have been leading the way.

Painters have their canvas again. Sculptors have their marble block again. Composers have their blank music sheet again. Socks make the game more visual and interesting.

“I started doing it a little bit in ’13, but full time ’14, last year and this year. I’m never going to wear my pants down again,” Altuve …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com