Josh Naylor's Custom Cleats and the Fan Connection That's Bigger Than Baseball

Josh Naylor walked into Monday's game against the Astros with over 80 pairs of custom cleats in his locker. He left with one less, and a whole lot more respect from the fanbase.

Before first pitch, Naylor gave away a pair of his custom kicks to a Mariners fan at the stadium. The cleats, built from Air Jordan I High OG "Top 3" sneakers, were signed and destined for Toronto this summer. A friend of the fan's from Canada was getting married and having a bachelor party up north, and that friend happens to be a huge Naylor fan. The fan's wife reached out directly to Naylor's wife with the story. So Naylor did what Naylor does: he autographed the shoes, wished the guy good luck on his wedding, and turned a random Monday into something the fan will remember forever.

A Philosophy Built on Small Gestures

"I signed a pair of cleats for him and wished him good luck in his marriage, and congratulations and all that," Naylor said after the game. "It's just a little gesture."

But Naylor goes deeper than that. He sees it as part of something bigger. "Those little acts of kindness, like you kind of change the world with it. You can make someone's day, which, if you make their day, they can make someone else's day. It's a trickle-down effect, like a pay it forward type of thing."

He's not being modest. "I'm a big believer in making people happy, regardless of your status, your hierarchy, whatever the case is. Rich or poor, if I can make you smile, maybe you can make another person smile and slowly change the world a little bit."

Then He Crushed Two Homers in Front of Him

The fan got stunned. He got giddy. And then he got even more than he bargained for. Naylor hit his first two homers of the season Monday night, and the fan was right there to see it all happen.

"He was happy. I was happy for him," Naylor said. "Getting married, it's a super cool thing. To make his day, I think that was awesome. And then to do what I was able to do on the field in front of him, I think that's super cool to give him that experience as well."

Coming into Monday, Naylor had been ice cold. He was batting .102 (6-for-59) with no extra base hits, six walks and 11 strikeouts. But somewhere in the struggle, Seattle fans had his back.

"It was maybe a few days ago, I hit a line drive and got out, and I was like 0-for-3 so far on the day," he recalled. "I heard some fan yell, 'Keep your head up! You're good! You're the best!' And it's like, 'damn, thank you.'"

That's the Seattle difference. "This fan base is so awesome. They're just through it with you, through the whole entire season, the ups and the downs. They're so loud, enthusiastic and supportive. You can't not love Seattle fans. They're the best."

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.