PHOTO: Oneil Cruz pays tribute to Dodgers and Pirates with custom blue and yellow cleats

Pittsburgh Pirates star shortstop Oneil Cruz wore customized blue and yellow cleats for the series finale against the LA Dodgers at PNC Park on Thursday. The moment signified Cruz paying tribute to the two major league ballclubs, which have helped him build his name in the big leagues.

Both the cleats were identical in design, with signified color variations to distinguish the Dodger Blue from the Pirates Yellow. The cleats had Cruz's image on the side of the respective ballclub's jersey, with the iconic Nike swoosh going over it. On the back was Cruz's signature, with the initials of his name also present on the cleats.

Oneil Cruz signed with the Dodgers in July 2015 as an international free agent and spent two years playing in the minor leagues before getting traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 31, 2017. Cruz would spend another three years in the MiLB before his much-awaited big league call-up by Pittsburgh on October 2, 2021.

Since making his big league debut, the tall 25-year-old Dominican has progressively climbed up the ranks to become an integral figure in the Pirates roster. Moreover, he might be having one of his best MLB seasons this year at PNC Park, which was evident from his offensive productions in the series finale against the Dodgers.

Oneil Cruz capped a special night with a special hit at PNC Park

In the series finale between the Pirates and the Dodgers, Cruz stepped up to the plate for his fifth at-bat of the game as the Pirates trailed 11-4. Celebrating a perfect night and paying tribute to both teams that helped him start his big league career, he muscled the baseball 462 feet into the Allegheny for a three-run home run, which was measured at 117.7 mph off his bat.

With this mammoth blast on Thursday night, Oneil Cruz took his tally to eight home runs for the season, with a batting average of .244, 23 RBIs, and .724 OPS. Cruz is quickly transitioning into a big-game player for the Pittsburgh organization and is paying up on every penny of the $755,000 one-year deal he signed this past offseason.