Color War: Ben Zobrist Defies MLB Again with Black Spikes

CHICAGO (AP) — Ben Zobrist was joined by Chicago Cubs teammates Kyle Schwarber and Steve Cishek in wearing black spikes on Monday despite a warning from Major League Baseball that he was in violation of the sport's uniform regulations.

Zobrist posted a letter from MLB on Instagram on Saturday that cited him for violating regulations requiring at least 51 percent of the exterior of a player's shoes be the club's designated primary shoe color. For the Cubs, that color is blue.

The letter said Zobrist will be subject to discipline, including a fine, if he continued to wear non-compliant shoes.

Zobrist said he planned to contract Joe Torre, MLB's Chief Baseball Officer.

"I plan on calling Joe Torre today and seeing if we can talk about it," Zobrist said following the Cubs' 6-5 loss to Atlanta. "We'll see. Maybe have an update tomorrow. My question is going to be why. We'll see what kind of answer I get. Why now? I think all players are kind of wondering that. Hopefully I get an answer and we can move forward."

In his Instagram post, Zobrist wrote he has worn black cleats for day games at Wrigley Field the past two years to honor the game's past. He said he was inspired by watching highlights of greats such as Ernie Banks and Stan Musial in the 1950s and 1960s.

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