Baseball Gloves & Batting Gear

Baseball Gloves

Any baseball player or baseball fan knows that baseball gloves are a necessary part of your baseball gear.  You can't even play baseball without baseball gloves.  Has anyone ever thought about where the idea of baseball gloves came from?  What would baseball be without baseball gloves?

The first true baseball gloves ever worn were by Doug Allison of the Cincinnati Red Socks in the year of 1870.  His fingers and hands were sore and achy so he wore a pair of buckskin mittens to protect them.  This is the first known instance of any human being ever wearing a baseball glove.  At first, the other baseball players made fun of him.  They said that baseball was a mans game and that he was being a baby for wearing it.  But slowly, over time, other baseball players started to wear them too.

Baseball gloves first began as the buckskin mittens.  Then it went to half fingered buckskin work gloves.  Next came baseball gloves that were slightly padded. Finally, baseball gloves in the form of specialized mitts for the catcher, first basemen, and other positions.    Eventually, baseball gloves became a regular part of the baseball gear and players were required to wear them.  The baseball gloves were small at first.  But by the 1890's, baseball gloves began to take on the larger shape that they are known to have today.

The first baseball gloves were designed with holes that the baseball player's fingers went through.  These baseball gloves looked nothing like the baseball gloves we use in present day.  These first baseball gloves were made so that the infielders and outfielders could catch and knock down the ball more easily.  They were basically just a large leather pad that sat in the palm of the baseball player's hands with openings for the fingers to fit through.

Baseball gloves did not have the lacing that they have now until World War II.  Baseball gloves didn't even have hinges until the 1950's.  This is because baseball glove designers back then didn't realize that they didn't have to make baseball gloves look like a hand.  They didn't figure out that baseball gloves should be large so that it could effectively protect the baseball player's hands while catching a high speed flying baseball.  Baseball glove designers didn't realize any of this until the 1960's.  This is when baseball gloves began to finally resemble the look of the baseball gloves used today.

Baseball gloves have been around for over 135 years.  Baseball gloves have come a long way since their first baseball game back in 1870.  Looking back, it was kind of silly the way baseball gloves came about to exist.  One thing is for certain, baseball wouldn't be baseball without baseball gloves.