Arrieta's performance topped his socks, but socks stole the show
Jake Arrieta said he he wanted the old-school stirrups he wore when he beat the White Sox. But Chicago Cubs clubhouse manager Tom “Otis” Hellmann brought the wrong ones, those faux stirrups players donned at one time for some reason, and so he wore them.
Always blame the clubhouse manager.
The socks might not have looked so great, but Arrieta was quite stylish on the mound, working through three walks and five hits to limit the damage to just two runs in six innings. He didn't get the win, but after Anthony Rizzo's second homer in as many days, the Cubs did, 5-2 over the Milwaukee Brewers.
@TrulyYours_1 https://t.co/vrU18emmFU
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 31, 2015
Afterward in the clubhouse, talk wasn't so much about Arrieta's performance as it was his high white socks with the narrow, sewn-in blue stripe that were trending on Twitter.
#Cubs Arrieta: "Unfortunately, the socks stunk, so you won't see those again. You'll see the high pants again, just better socks."
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) July 31, 2015
"The socks were awful. Probably the worst socks I’ve ever worn,” Arrieta told reporters after the game.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon was typically all over the map trying to talk about Arrieta's fashion statement.
"It was just awkward to watch him like that, and it might have been his socks,” Maddon told reporters, smiling. “I love the socks actually. That was like mid-70s right there. If I could have grown an Afro for a day, I would have, just to support him.
"But it's a horrible look. You've got to love the tenacity it takes to wear something that awful. But then, again, Jake makes it look good. So there's all these different forces at work."
(h/t Chicago Sun-Times)
