Stirrups – an under-utilized tribute to baseball’s glorious past – are awesome as hell, but the reason behind Twins rookie J.R. Graham wearing them might be even more awesome.
The 25-year old Twins pitcher dons the throwback look so that his mother, who is legally blind, has an easier time spotting him on the field when she watches him play. Graham says that the stirrups, which (sadly) aren’t worn by many players these days, help him stand out from the rest of his teammates and allow his mom to find him quicker.
“It’s a very nice gesture. It’s always nice to have something that stands out,” [Graham’s mom] said of her son’s stirrups. “I see people, but I don’t see details from a distance. I see all the players on the field, but I can’t see detail. I can’t tell who’s who.” (via)
As an added bonus, Graham gets to look cool as hell while scoring some extra points with mom. Win-win.
With his mom being legally blind, @JRGraham013 wears stirrups so she can tell him apart on the field. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/GYi7WggIFZ
— Dustin Morse (@Twins_morsecode) April 13, 2015
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