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[edit] Baseball equipment and clothing
The
baseball is the most fundamental piece of equipment in the game.
- Bat
- A rounded, solid wooden or hollow aluminum bat. Wooden bats are traditionally made from ash wood, though maple is also sometimes used. Aluminum bats are not permitted in professional leagues, but are frequently used in amateur leagues.
- Ball
- A cork sphere, tightly wound with layers of yarn or string and covered with a stitched leather coat.
- Base
- One of four corners of the infield which must be touched by a runner in order to score a run; more specifically, they are canvas bags (at first, second, and third base) and a rubber plate (at home).
- Glove
- Leather glove worn by players in the field. Long fingers and a webbed "pocket" between the thumb and first finger allow the fielder to catch the ball more easily.
- Catcher's mitt
- Leather mitt worn by catchers. It is much wider than a normal fielder's glove and the four fingers are connected. The mitt is also better-padded than the standard fielder's glove.
- First baseman's mitt
- Leather mitt worn by first basemen. It is longer and wider than a standard fielder's glove. The four fingers are connected and the glove is rounded like a catcher's mitt. A first baseman's mitt has a bit more padding than a standard fielder's glove
- Batting glove
- Glove often worn on one or both hands by the batter. They offer additional grip and eliminate some of the shock when making contact with the ball.
- Batting helmet
- Helmet worn by batter to protect the head and the ear facing the pitcher from the ball.
- Baseball cap
- Hat worn by all players. Designed to shade the eyes from the sun, this hat design has become popular with the general public.
- Catcher's helmet
- Protective helmet with face guard worn by the catcher.
- Uniform
- Shirt and pants worn by all players. Each team generally has a unique pattern of colors and designs. Traditionally, the home team's uniform is predominantly white with the team's nickname, and the visiting team's is predominantly gray with (usually, but not always) the team's city. A belt is also worn.
- Athletic supporter and cup
- A hard plastic shell which protects the genitals from injury. The "cup supporter" (also known as a "jockstrap" or "jock") is a special undergarment designed to hold the cup in place without restricting movement.
- Sliding shorts
- Padded support shorts sometimes worn to protect the thighs when the player slides into the bases.
- Spikes
- Baseball shoes have spikes to increase traction on dirt and grass. Different levels of competition may allow different types of spikes. For example, Major League Baseball allows metal spikes to be worn while lower levels of competition (such as Tee-Ball or beginner baseball) may only allow plastic spikes. Baserunners will often use the spikes to their advantage by executing an aggressive slide, feet first towards the fielder, with the goal of "breaking up" a double play. Spikes are also sometimes referred to as cleats.
- Stirrups
- In baseball’s early days, the dyes used in stockings were not colorfast, so a spike wound could easily get an unhealthy dose of colored dye. Wearing a white stocking underneath the colored hose would help eliminate the problem, but the double thickness of socks meant that a player’s shoe no longer fit properly. The solution, introduced during the first decade of the 20th century, was the colored stirrup stocking. The innovative sock allowed for a protective layer of material around the leg but a single thickness of material in the shoe. Since the white stockings worn underneath the stirrup stockings provided a sanitary layer of protection, they were dubbed “sanitaries.”
[edit] See also
