Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana raised some eyebrows on Wednesday for essentially wearing shorts on the mound.
Santana entered the game for the 9th inning of Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays while sporting a highly unusual look. The reliever was wearing his socks so high, they looked more like shorts.
Have you ever seen this style of baseball pants?? 😭
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2025
Dennis Santana’s “pants” had the Rays broadcast in disarray pic.twitter.com/3daKAKlBzI
This is very much a new look for Santana. When he pitched on Saturday, he was wearing normal-length pants.
Dennis Santana 😤 pic.twitter.com/WzFGSk3aB4
— Los Piratas (@piratasbeisbol) March 29, 2025
It’s definitely a unique look, though it’s not clear how comfortable it was. Regardless, it worked fine for Santana, who pitched a scoreless inning with one walk to collect his first save of the year.
Santana appears to be the Pirates’ choice to close after David Bednar was demoted to the minors. The 28-year-old journeyman has a 4.75 career ERA, but managed a 2.44 ERA in 39 appearances with Pittsburgh last season.
After Bednar’s struggles, the closer job is likely Santana’s as long as he remains effective. Maybe the imitation shorts will be part of his recipe for success.
