Cleats
- Description
- Pair of Nike "Zoom" style custom 9/11 commemorative baseball cleats. The right cleat is white with a red-and-white stripe motif and "EMT," "PA NYNJ," "FDNY," "NYPD," and "DSNY" printed in blue around the cleat. A small image reminiscent of the Thomas Franklin Raising the Flag at Ground Zero image is also depicted. The left cleat is also white with a blue-with-white-stars motif and the New York City skyline featuring the Twin Towers. "September 11, 2001" is printed across the laces' strap and "We Will NEVER Forget" is printed along the heel. The Nike stripe on the cleats is a copper color. Both cleats are dirty.
- Historical Notes
- Commemorative 9/11 baseball cleats worn by New York Met's first baseman Pete Alonso during the Mets vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game on September 11, 2019.
Curator's Comment
On the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the New York Mets delivered a victory for fans to remember, winning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a game played in the team’s Citi Field home stadium. The Mets won, with a score that drew attention for its coincidental symbolism: 9 runs earned off 11 hits. Before the game, the team took time to commemorate New York’s first responders and families of the victims of the terrorist attacks.
24-year-old rookie and first baseman Pete Alonso also invested considerable forethought on the date’s solemn meaning to the Met’s fan base and his fellow teammates. Raised in Florida, Alonso—who made his major league debut with the Mets in the 2019 season—was only 6 years old when the World Trade Center was destroyed. He nonetheless appreciated the gravity of 9/11 and the anniversary’s overlap with the team’s hometown schedule. Alonso planned to have his teammates join him in wearing custom cleats emblazoned with the words “We Will Never Forget” and lettering for New York’s emergency responder units. He prepared several weeks in advance by seeking the correct cleat sizes for each Mets player and then placing the custom order, which he self-funded, in time for wear at the September 11, 2019, game.
The gesture was appreciated widely, providing Alonso with an opportunity to explain this tribute to the press and his many fans. Alonso elected not to retain the special cleats as a personal memory. With the support of the Mets organization, he decided to donate them to the National September 11th Memorial Museum along with a bat he used during the game.
24-year-old rookie and first baseman Pete Alonso also invested considerable forethought on the date’s solemn meaning to the Met’s fan base and his fellow teammates. Raised in Florida, Alonso—who made his major league debut with the Mets in the 2019 season—was only 6 years old when the World Trade Center was destroyed. He nonetheless appreciated the gravity of 9/11 and the anniversary’s overlap with the team’s hometown schedule. Alonso planned to have his teammates join him in wearing custom cleats emblazoned with the words “We Will Never Forget” and lettering for New York’s emergency responder units. He prepared several weeks in advance by seeking the correct cleat sizes for each Mets player and then placing the custom order, which he self-funded, in time for wear at the September 11, 2019, game.
The gesture was appreciated widely, providing Alonso with an opportunity to explain this tribute to the press and his many fans. Alonso elected not to retain the special cleats as a personal memory. With the support of the Mets organization, he decided to donate them to the National September 11th Memorial Museum along with a bat he used during the game.
- Accession Number: C.2020.22.1
- Dimensions: 7.5 in X 5 in X 12.5 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 19.05 cm X 12.7 cm X 31.75 cm
- Source: Pete Alonso
- Credit Line: Gift of Pete Alonso
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