Red socked: Perez needs new cleats, gets hit hard at Fenway

BOSTON (AP) — Cleveland Indians reliever Oliver Pérez got off on the wrong foot Monday at Fenway Park.

In a bizarre scene, Pérez was left standing around in his socks during a delay in the fifth inning, waiting for someone to bring him new shoes before starting his outing against the Boston Red Sox.

Pérez was warming up when he noticed something was off with his left cleat. He called for time, then signaled for a fresh pair of Nike's.

While a trainer fetched them from the clubhouse, the 37-year-old Pérez meandered around the mound in his socks. He stepped onto the grass to lace up the replacement footwear, then finally got to work.

Boston socked it to him. Pérez gave up an RBI double to Jackie Bradley Jr. and a three-run homer to Sandy León during a rocky outing that put the Red Sox ahead 9-3.

It wasn't the first pair of Nike's to blow out on a big stage this year. Duke basketball star Zion Williamson was injured in February after the sole burst on his sneakers — that malfunction caused Nike's stock to drop the next day.