Richie Palacios has a new pair of cleats for the biggest stage of his career, and they tell the story of how he got there. The Tampa Bay Rays second baseman unveiled custom footwear featuring his “zip ’em up” motto alongside a painted portrait of his signature postgame celebration with shortstop Taylor Walls, and he is expected to lace them up when the Rays open the World Series.
Palacios shared a post from Lucia Footwear Company on Instagram showing off the cleats, according to FOX 13 News. The Rays open the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, with Game 1 first pitch set for 8:08 p.m. ET, and the outlet reports Palacios plans to wear the new pair for the occasion.
This is not Palacios's first foray into custom footwear with a pop-culture twist. He previously wore cleats featuring Lisa Simpson decked out in a superhero cape alongside her “lizard queen” moment from Season 4, Episode 13 of The Simpsons, designed by Yeardley Smith, the actress who voices the character. His game-day shoe rotation has also included designs inspired by the Joker and Monsters, Inc., per the same report.
A Credo Stitched Into Leather
The connection between Palacios and Smith goes beyond the Lisa Simpson cleats. Palacios appeared on Smith's Guard the Yard podcast earlier in the season, where he told her about a personal credo that has shaped his career: “Rent is due every day.” He has explained that the phrase means he can never be satisfied with past success and must keep working to earn the next one.
Smith incorporated that phrase into the newest pair of custom cleats, the same ones depicting his celebration with Walls. It's a detail that ties together two very different parts of Palacios's public persona — the superstitious showman and the grinder who treats every game like a fresh bill coming due.
The Dunk That Started It All
The celebration painted onto Palacios's cleats has become a Rays tradition in its own right. He and Walls perform their “dunk” routine after every Rays win, leaping toward each other and pretending to throw down a between-the-legs slam. Palacios conceived the bit during the season, and Walls agreed to join him for it.
Neither player is exactly built for basketball heroics — Palacios stands 5-foot-8 and Walls 5-foot-9 — but that hasn't stopped them from committing to the bit. “We both wish we could dunk,” Palacios has said, and Walls jokes that he tries to jump higher than his teammate every time they do it. The routine draws on basketball generally and on Palacios's love of the New York Knicks specifically.
Rays Riding Momentum Into Milwaukee
The cleats arrive at a high point for Tampa Bay. The Rays advanced to the World Series after eliminating the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, a series-clinching win at Tropicana Field, according to Tampa Bay Times. Now the team heads to Milwaukee to face the Brewers with a chance to keep the celebration going on the sport's biggest stage.
Palacios isn't the first big leaguer to turn custom cleats into a personal brand. Jeremy Guthrie built a reputation around his own custom pairs, once described as making him the only MLB player to rock Foams on the field, according to a MLB.com feature. For Palacios, though, the cleats are less about sneaker culture and more about carrying his story — and his dunk routine with Walls — into October.
