Baseball glove - wikipedia Baseball glove This article is about the glove used by defensive players. For gloves worn by batters, see Batting glove. `` Right - handed '' baseball glove worn on the left hand of center fielder Willie Mays during the 1954 World Series. A baseball glove or mitt is a large leather glove worn by baseball players of the defending team, which assists players in catching and fielding balls hit by a batter or thrown by a teammate. By convention, the glove is described by the handedness of the intended wearer, rather than the hand on which the glove is worn : a glove that fits on the left hand -- used by a right - handed thrower -- is called a right - handed ( RH ) or `` right - hand throw '' ( RHT ) glove. Conversely, a left - handed glove ( LH or LHT ) is worn on the right hand, allowing the player to throw the ball with the left hand. Contents 1 History 2 Varieties 3 Major glove manufacturers 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History Bid McPhee simulating playing second base without a glove Early baseball was a game played without gloves. During the slow transition to gloves, a player who continued to play without one was called a barehanded catcher ; this did not refer to the position of catcher, but rather to the practice of catching with bare hands. The earliest glove was not webbed and not particularly well suited for catching but was used more to bat a ball to the ground so that it could be picked up. An 1885 glove patent One of the first players believed to use a baseball glove was Doug Allison, a catcher for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, in 1870, due to an injured left hand. The first confirmed glove use was by Charlie Waitt, a St. Louis outfielder and first baseman who, in 1875, donned a pair of flesh - colored gloves. Glove use slowly caught on as more and more players began using different forms of gloves. Many early baseball gloves were simple leather gloves with the fingertips cut off, supposedly to allow for the same control of a bare hand but with extra padding. First baseman Albert Spalding, originally skeptical of glove use, influenced more infielders to begin using gloves. Spalding later founded the sporting goods company Spalding, which still manufactures baseball gloves along with other sports equipment. By the mid-1890s, it was the norm for players to wear gloves in the field. A.G. Spalding & Bros. advertisement for infielder gloves, 1905 In 1920, Bill Doak, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, suggested that a web be placed between the first finger and the thumb in order to create a pocket. This design soon became the standard for baseball gloves. Doak patented his design and sold it to Rawlings. His design became the precursor to modern gloves, and enabled Rawlings to become the preferred glove of professional players. For many years it was customary for fielders to leave their gloves on the field when their team went in to bat. This practice was prohibited by the major leagues in 1954. Baseball gloves have grown progressively larger since their inception. While catching in baseball had always been two handed, eventually, gloves grew to a size that made it easier to catch the ball in the webbing of the glove, and use the off - hand to keep it from falling out. A glove is typically worn on the non-dominant hand, leaving the dominant hand for throwing the ball ; for example, a right - handed player would wear a glove on the left hand. The shape and size of the baseball glove is governed by official baseball rules. Section 3.00 - EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS specifies glove dimensions and materials in parts 3.04 through 3.07. The baseball glove has come a long way in over the past century. Today, gloves are made more precisely and more efficiently. There are still many advancements coming in the age of the baseball glove. Even today, Easton is `` experimenting with combining leather and Kevlar ( used in bullet - proof vests ) in a new ultra-light weight glove line ''. Manufacturers have created different types of gloves to suit different types of people. Also, they have started personalizing gloves for certain players to increase exposure on national television. Rawlings sponsors more than 49.99 % of the current MLB Players. It is because of this dedication to gloves that the MLB has rewarded Rawlings with the `` annual Rawlings Gold Glove Award, which has been presented to players for fielding excellence since 1957. '' The highest - quality gloves are usually made of heavy leather that will need some time to break in, provide a `` snug '' fit on one 's hand off the shelf, and typically do not have palm pads or Velcro adjustable wrist straps, which are excellent features to have if one is buying a youth or recreational type glove. Most players choose which glove manufacturer they will sign with when they are in the minor leagues, and stay with them for their entire career. Most glove companies will pay in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for high - caliber players to endorse their gloves. Pitchers usually get the highest contracts for gloves because their glove is shown on television more frequently than other gloves. One of the biggest endorsers of gloves was Roger Clemens, who won seven Cy Young Awards with gloves from three different glove companies. Even though there have been many advancements in the design and creation of the baseball glove, the greatest came in the invention of the catcher 's mitt. However, a Wake Forest University study demonstrated, through 39 minor - league players, that even though today 's catcher 's mitts are state - of - the - art, they still do not offer enough protection from long - term injury to the hand and wrist. A custom made Rolin baseball glove Varieties Baseball gloves are measured by starting at the top of the index finger of the glove and measuring down the finger, along the inside of the pocket and then out to the heel of the glove. Gloves typically range in size from 9 inches ( youth starter size ) to 12.75 inches for adult outfield play. Catcher 's mitts, unlike those of other gloves, are measured around the circumference, and they typically have 32 - to 34 - inch patterns. The shape and size of a glove is described by its pattern. Modern gloves have become quite specialized, with position - specific patterns : Catcher 's mitts are called `` mitts '' because they lack individual fingers, like mittens. They have extra padding and a hinged, claw - like shape that helps them funnel fastballs into the pocket and provide a good target for pitchers. Some catchers use mitts with phosphorescent paint around the ridges to provide a clearer target for the pitcher. In addition, catcher 's mitts come in single hinge and dual hinge varieties. If required to catch a knuckleball, a catcher will typically use an even larger mitt. Some knuckleball catchers have even experimented with using first baseman 's mitts, as described below. First baseman 's mitts also lack individual fingers. They are generally very long and wide to help them pick or scoop badly thrown balls from infielders. These mitts usually have 12.5 - to 12.75 - inch patterns, measured from wrist to the tip. Because first basemen are often left - handed, first basemen 's mitts are readily available to fit on a right hand. Hank Greenberg is often credited as the first to wear this style of glove in the field. Some catchers, such as Victor Martinez, use a first base mitt while catching knuckleballers. The disadvantage of using a first baseman 's mitt in this way is that because first basemen are rarely required to make a quick throw to another base, they tend to make the task of catching base stealers more difficult - a task already complicated by the knuckleball 's slow speed and erratic behavior. Infielders ' gloves, unlike the first baseman 's mitt, tend to be smaller. They have shallow pockets to allow fielders to remove the ball easily in order to make a quick throw to a base. Often the webbing will be open to allow dirt to move through the glove so that the infielder does not pull out a handful of dirt when trying to remove the ball from the glove. Infielder 's gloves typically have 11 - to 12 - inch patterns. Pitchers ' gloves usually have a closed, opaque webbing to allow pitchers to conceal their grip on the ball ( which, in part, determines the behavior of the pitch in flight ) from the batter. Pitcher - specific gloves tend to have 11.75 - to 12 - inch patterns ; some pitchers such as Gio González use gloves with patterns as large as 12.25 inches. Infield gloves with intricate webbing are also used by pitchers. Outfielder 's gloves are usually quite long with deep pockets to help with catching fly balls on the run or in a dive and to keep outfielders from having to bend down as far to field a ground ball. These gloves typically have 12 - to 12.75 - inch patterns, measured from wrist to the tip. They are frequently worn - in differently from those of infielders, with a flatter squeeze rather than the infielder 's rounded style. Switch - thrower 's gloves are gloves with a second thumb pocket on the opposite side of the glove, to allow it to be worn on either side of the hand. At the major league level, this glove has been used only by switch - pitcher Pat Venditte. Left - hand throw gloves are any of the gloves above, but designed to be worn on the right hand ( for left - handed players ). Players that utilize the left - hand throw gloves such as Tony Gwynn or Sandy Koufax are most frequently pitchers, first basemen, or outfielders. Major glove manufacturers Easton Hillerich & Bradsby, under the Louisville Slugger brand name Mizuno Nokona Rawlings Spalding Wilson See also Baseball portal Fashion portal Baseball clothing and equipment Wicket - keeper 's gloves, a similar glove used in cricket References Jump up ^ `` Baseball ' Glove Affairs ' ''. NPR. 4 September 2008. 27 June 2008. ^ Jump up to : Bennett, R. ( 2006, March 31 ). Glovology TCS Daily. Jump up ^ Stamp, Jimmy. `` The Invention of the Baseball Mitt ''. www.smithsonianmag.com. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved 27 April 2015. Jump up ^ Feldman, Jay ( February 20, 1984 ). `` Of Mice And Mitts, And Of A Rule That Helped To Clean Up Baseball ''. Sports Illustrated. ^ Jump up to : Soyer, F. ( May 1, 2001 ). `` The Evolution of Baseball Gloves ''. Popular Mechanics. Jump up ^ Baseball Glove Sizing Charts Archived February 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Hank Greenberg '' by Ralph Berger, The Baseball Biography Project Archived March 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Baseball Glove Features '' External links `` How Products Are Made : Baseball Glove '', www.science.enotes.com `` Baseball Glove Leather '' `` Baseball / Softball Glove Buying Guide '', www.homerunmonkey.com `` How to size a baseball glove '' `` How to size a baseball bat '' `` Major League Baseball 2016 ''. Baseball concepts Outline, Glossary Rules Rules of baseball Ground rules Infield fly rule Interference Field Backstop Baseball diamond Batter 's box Batter 's eye Bullpen Dugout Foul pole Foul territory Infield On - deck circle Outfield Warning track Equipment Ball Bat Batting cage Batting glove Batting helmet Cap Doughnut Glove ( defense ) Pitching machine Protective cup Shin guard Stirrups Uniform Uniform number Game process Batting order Extra innings Innings On - deck Out Positions Run Seventh - inning stretch Batting At bat Baltimore chop Bat flip Chinese home run Batting count Bunt Checked swing Cleanup hitter Designated hitter Double Double switch Foul ball Foul tip Golden sombrero Grand slam Ground rule double Hat trick Hit Hit and run Hit by pitch Hitting for the cycle Home run Infield hit Inside - the - park home run Leadoff hitter Lefty - righty switch Line drive Moonshot Plate appearance Platoon system Pull hitter Sacrifice bunt Sacrifice fly Single Slap bunt Strikeout Strike zone Sweet spot Switch hitter Triple Walk Walk - off home run Pitching Balk Beanball Breaking ball Brushback pitch Changeup Curveball Eephus Fastball Full count Inside pitching Intentional walk Knuckleball No - hitter Passed ball Perfect game Pitch count Pitchout Quick pitch Screwball Shutout Slider Spitball Strikeout Striking out the side Time of pitch Wild pitch Base running Balk Bases loaded Caught stealing Contact play Hit and run Left on base Obstruction Safe Scoring position Slide Small ball Squeeze play Stolen base Tag up Fielding ( positioning ) Appeal play Assist Blocking the plate Catch Defensive indifference Double play Error Fielder 's choice Fifth infielder Force play Fourth out Hidden ball trick In - between hop Infield fly rule Infield shift Interference Pickoff Putout Rundown Tag out Triple play unassisted Uncaught third strike Wall climb Wheel play Miscellaneous Baseball statistics Bench jockey Bench - clearing brawl Dead ball Jargon In flight Pepper Scorekeeping Series Shagging Slump Streak ( losing ) Streak ( winning ) Portal WikiProject Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baseball_glove&oldid=815534636 '' Categories : Baseball equipment Gloves Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Hrvatski Italiano 日本 語 Português Simple English Slovenčina 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 15 December 2017, at 12 : 25. 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Question: when did baseball players stop leaving their gloves on the field
Answer: 1954