Batting glove

A pair of batting gloves, commonly used in modern baseball.

Batting gloves are a component in baseball sportswear. The glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, heat, improved grip, and shock absorption when hitting the ball. The use of gloves is not obligatory in any level of the game, but they are considered an essential part of baseball clothing and equipment.

History

The first player to bring about the ideas of Batting Gloves was Bobby Thomson of the Giants, who wore golf gloves during spring training in 1949. He didn’t wear them during the season, but he started an idea that stuck. The first person to wear a batting glove in a game was Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. Some sources say Harrelson first wore golf gloves while playing for the Kansas City A's in 1964. Others cite a more lyrical and perhaps apocryphal tale, in which Harrelson was with the Red Sox in 1968 and, not expecting to play in a night game, spent the afternoon playing golf. Arriving at the ballpark with blistered hands after shooting 36 holes, he was surprised to find himself in the starting lineup and resorted to wearing golf gloves to protect his sore hands. Rusty Staub was the first to wear the golf gloves on a daily basis.

Batting Gloves became an essential and common element of MLB during the early 1980's with Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies spearheading efforts of Franklin Sports to become the choice of the majority of players. Over time Franklin Sports became (and remains today) the official batting glove of Major League Baseball.

Why Wear Batting Gloves

The majority of baseball players, at any level of play, wear batting gloves. They are worn because they help increase the quality of the grip on the bat. Maintaining a tight and controlled grip is essential to successful hits. Any professional, or non-professional for that matter, will tell you that even the slightest slip or variation in grip can cost the team greatly. And just how they are worn to provide a better grip, they also act as a protector of the hand from when one slides into a base. Batting Gloves today are even worn by fielders because they say that they like the feel better in their glove.

Today, batting gloves are made by basically every company that makes a regular baseball glove. One can by a pair anywhere from $10- $40 dollars, and they are sold in many sport magazines, sporting good stores and of course online.

In spite of the gloves' ubiquitousness, several Major League players bat gloveless:

Brands of Batting Gloves

Franklin Sports(official batting glove of Major League Baseball) Rawlings Easton Louisville Slugger (TPX) Mizuno Worth Under Armor Nike Reebok DeMarini

References