It's also important to think about the appearance of socks, especially for baseball with unique stirrup socks.
The History of Baseball Socks
▸ The Beginning
The beginning of baseball socks can be traced back to 1868 when Cincinnati Red Stockings exposed their baseball socks like cricketers. John Thorn, the MLB's official historian, said that the team’s owner was "trying to create a sensation," presumably to increase attendance and the team's profile. Another benefit of pulling the pants up is to attract ladies’ attention because high socks show manly calves. But Cincinnati’s players just wore common socks at that time.
In 1905, Nap Lajoie was injured by a cleat, which drove players to wear two layers of socks. Therefore, baseball stirrups were born. A white, washable sock was worn under the colored uniform sock. Two layers were very tight for players, so they cut the toes and ankle out of the colored socks, forming the first baseball stirrup socks.
By the 1920s, the striped stirrups created a new era of human beauty. Standouts include the New York Giants' stirrups in 1921 or the St. Louis Cardinals' socks in 1923 (candy cane). These two types have become an important part of American school uniforms. In the 1960s, sanitary socks can be dyed in colors other than white because of colorfast dyes, creating the athletics green-over-gold look.
▸ Going Overboard?
Just as fashion is always evolving, baseball stirrup socks are changing too. The long-stretched stirrups seem to disappear quickly because the players begin to pull their pants down. They looked like wearing sports pants with only one stirrup on the ankle.
Since many baseball players preferred long, loose trousers, the remaining ones are often only matched with high cuff look, showing solid color stockings. Eventually, the baseball stirrup socks fell out of fashion.
▸ You Can't Keep a Good Sock Down
After decades of decline, baseball stirrups are making a comeback. In the past few years, striped stirrups have undergone a resurgence. Brandon Ryan was one of the best examples when he was with the Cardinals. Then the Rays launched a new “throwback” with navy and teal mixing together.
And some traditionally conscious players make their own personal statements on footwear by taking advantage of the Major League Baseball’s loose regulation of uniform rules. From sock hiding pants to knee-high stirrups under knicker-like cuffed pants, players are making their own choices even in the same team. They believed that players can choose regular baseball socks or baseball stirrups socks by themselves.
How to Wear Custom Baseball Socks Properly??
It's easy to put on baseball socks, but you will make some mistakes and make them difficult to stay in place if you wear wrong. Following steps can help you wear custom baseball socks properly:
Step 1: Roll the baseball pants to your knees
It is classic to wear your pants high for baseball stirrup look. In order to keep the fabric from bunching up too much, rolling the hem of the pants above the knee is important.
Step 2: Put on knee-length white socks first
It is a must for you to pull your white socks higher and tighter. Pulling the pair of baseball sock over the hem of your pants will prevent everything from falling out and make it easier to fit stirrups and cleats on.
These white socks are sometimes called “sanitary” socks because they are designed to protect the skin of the player from staining of colorful stirrups.
Step 3: Put the stirrups on your white sock
The top of your stirrups should be just below the knee. You can pull the stirrups as any height you like to show more or less sock. If you pull the stirrups over your knees, they will make it more difficult for you to move. That means you can roll them down.
Step 4: Pull your stirrups tight in the right height
The stirrups should stay tight around your calves. You should pull them up in a right and comfortable position to avoid them dropping while you are playing baseball. If the elasticity of your stirrups starts to sag, it's time to replace them. If your stirrups sag, you can secure them by tape or rubber bands. If they fall down when you play baseball, you should throw them away because they may get caught in your splint and cause you to trip over.
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