Craig Kimbrel insists he was not trying to be like Mike - as in Michael Johnson.
The Braves closer donned gold-colored cleats as he earned his 42nd save of the season in nailing down a 7-4 win over the Phillies Wednesday afternoon at Turner Field. The bright footwear was reminiscent of the custom-designed pair of golden-colored racing spikes that Johnson wore during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta while running in this very same stadium.
Kimbrel wore the cleats to raise awareness for a charity he works with called Curing Kids Cancer.
“They raise money for research for pediatric cancer,” Kimbrel said of the charity. “September is the month and the color is gold to raise awareness. I decided to put those cleats together and wear them in a game and try to raise awareness.
“We are going to try to auction the cleats off and try to raise a little bit of money for the charity.”
Kimbrel said he had the cleats made, an effort that took some “wheeling and dealing.” He added he was pleased with the final product and hopes they will end up with helping the cause.
