Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias showed off his custom Mexico-themed cleats he had made for his participation in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
Dodgers ace Julio Urias will be representing Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his first time pitching for his country in the event. The last time the WBC was held, back in 2017, Urias was just 20 years old and coming off his rookie season, so LA wasn’t keen on him participating.
Now, though, Julio is coming off back-to-back outstanding seasons, finishing seventh in the 2021 Cy Young voting after being MLB’s only 20-game winner and then finishing third last year with a National League-leading 2.16 ERA. Heading into his final season before free agency, Los Angeles was on board with him participating in this year’s event, and if they don’t love the idea, they’re keeping it to themselves.
Urias is ramping up and getting his arm ready for the WBC, but his fashion game is already on point. Dodgers beat writer Juan Toribio shared a photo of Julio’s custom cleats he’ll be wearing in the tournament.
Urias’s Under Armour cleats bear Mexico’s red, white, and green colors and the classic Mexican coat of arms, depicting a golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus and eating a rattlesnake. Near the top of the shoes, Julio’s last name and his number 7 appear, with the left shoe laced in red and the right shoe laced in green.
Urias became the first Mexico-born pitcher ever to lead the league in ERA last year, a huge accomplishment considering some of the greats who have come before him like Fernando Valenzuela, Teddy Higuera, Yovani Gallardo, Ismael Valdes, and others.
Team Mexico’s WBC schedule kicks off on March 11 against Colombia. Urias and his teammates will take on Team USA on March 12.
