We lost New York Yankees Aaron Judge. No, I am not referring to his recently diagnosed stress rib fracture that has sidelined the right fielder for the summer. While I wish him a speedy recovery, the loss I am referring to came three months before in March. The Instagram channel @mlb.fits reported that Aaron Judge was seen during spring training wearing his pants all the way down after years of championing the stirrup aesthetic. The post gained over 16 thousand interactions, with people in the comments split on whether they approved the change in his outfit, with some defending his choice for opting to have the bottom of his pants graze the top of his cleats.

One commenter, @elkproductions, pointed out “Js [sic] those aren’t stirrups.” @elkproductions is correct. Aaron Judge is known for wearing his pants tucked into high socks, which pays homage to the sport stocking, but he is not technically wearing stirrup socks. To be a true stirrup sock there must be a lack of foot section of the sock. Instead, there is a loop, hence the stirrup, which the player places his foot in and wears over a white sock. The sock style creates arches (think equestrian stirrup), usually showcasing the color of the team via the stirrup sock with the white sock peeking out under the front and back of the mid-calf. Why does this distinction matter? Because its history is rooted in life or death. 

In July 1905, second baseman Napoleon Lajoie also known as Nap Lajoie or Larry Lajoie or “The Frenchman,” contracted sepsis from an untreated infected spike wound when playing for the Cleveland Broncos. The toxic dye then used in his team’s socks leeched into his blood. His leg was nearly amputated from the infection, but he did recover. The league’s response to the scare was to have players wear white non-dyed sanitary socks under the colored team socks to avoid another poisoning. Wearing two socks is uncomfortable thus the footless stirrup sock was invented and a style was born. 

The functionable fashion stuck for most of the twentieth century even when factory dyes were no longer lethal. Yet even the stirrup sock had to face the ebbs and flows of fashion. In the 1990s, the stirrup lost its style status when players began to free their calves and choose baggy style pants that reached the ankle. 

In recent years, some players defiantly choose to wear the stirrup look, whether by wearing a true stirrup sock or just a high sock with their pants tucked into it. Some modern MLB fashion trailblazers wearing the stirrup look include New York Mets Brett Baty and Francisco Lindor, Cincinnati Red Chris Paddack and San Diego Padre Xander Bogaerts. But this is nowhere near enough players wearing this iconic style. We need more players to don the stirrup aesthetic. For the last ten years, thrifting vintage styles of eras before the hellscape we now live in became the “it” fashion trend. The exact decade fluctuates, but if the piece a person is wearing holds a story, the higher its fashion value. I can’t think of a better story for a fashion trend than risking one’s life in the name of wearing their team’s color on their feet. I hope when Judge does return to the field, his stirrup sock style will, too. 

This piece is in Recommend If You Like The Baseball Issue Summer 2026. You can find physical copies in bars, cafes and stores in Chicago and Washington, D.C. The newspaper is available for purchase here. 

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