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This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MILWAUKEE — Willy Adames and Freddy Peralta provided an extra pop of color for the Brewers’ annual Cerveceros Night at American Family Field on Friday, which coincided with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month across the league.
Adames and Peralta worked with Milwaukee-based designer Brandon Johnston of S2S Creations to create custom cleats representing each player’s roots in the Dominican Republic. During the planning meetings, they discussed their lives in and outside of baseball, and their wish lists for the cleats.
“It represents where I came from,” Peralta told Brewers sideline reporter Sophia Minnaert for a feature that ran on Bally Sports Wisconsin prior to Friday’s game.
Peralta’s cleats feature a reflective silver Nike swoosh set amid bright shades of pink and yellow to represent Dominican subsets, plus baby blue and textured sandy colors to represent the beach. There’s also an image of a camel, which has deep meaning for Peralta to represent perseverance and resilience.
Adames’ cleats are just as eclectic, with the right featuring the Brewers’ City Connect colors and the flag of the Dominican Republic on the tongue. The red and yellow on the left foot is an homage to his favorite superhero, The Flash. On one of the straps is Adames’ personal mantra, #NoBookbag, which he posts as a personal reminder to always stay humble.
“Everyone who knows me knows I like having nice shoes,” Adames said. “But these ones are really cool because they have a lot of special touches because they represent me and who I am.”
Johnston included personalized inserts for each player as a surprise.
For Peralta, one side recognizes his National League Pitcher of the Month Award for August and the other has his children’s names with their favorite characters, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
For Adames, one foot highlights his time playing for the Tigres Del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, and the other features an image of Adames recently meeting his childhood hero, Derek Jeter.
The cleats will eventually go to a good cause. As part of a Brewers collaboration with Milwaukee Film, they will be on display and available for auction at the upcoming Culture By Design: Sneakers and Streetwear Summit, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Milwaukee’s convention center. Proceeds will benefit Brewers Community Foundation.
