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Relief pitcher Alex Torres made history last season, when he was with the San Diego Padres, by becoming the first MLB pitcher to wear a padded helmet. Torres, who's now with the Mets, made history again last weekend by becoming the first pitcher to wear the latest version of MLB's protective headgear, which is actually a strip of padding that wraps around his regular cap. Torres -- who has received a lot of ridicule and abuse for his headwear choices but, to his credit, doesn't seem too worried about what other folks think -- is hardly the first ballplayer to wear something unusual-looking on his head. Baseball history has a long tradition of headwear innovation and experimentation. With that in mind, here's a selective timeline of notable moments in MLB caps, helmets and other headgear: 1912: Pirates manager Fred Clarke comes up with a design for a baseball cap with flip-down sunglasses screwed into the brim. The concept fails to catch on. 1920: After Indians shortstop Ray Chapman is killed by a pitch to his head, an ad for a leather batting helmet appears in a trade journal called The American Hatter. The ad's text includes the following: "Magistrate F.X. McQuade, treasurer of the [New York] Giants, states the club officials are considering adopting such a helmet as is shown." Despite this claim, there's no evidence of this helmet ever being worn in a big league game (or anywhere else). 1937: Tigers star Mickey Cochrane's career is ended by a pitch that hits him in the head, fracturing his skull in three places. Athletics manager Connie Mack responds by having his players wear polo helmets during batting practice, although the helmets are not worn during a game. 1939: Athletics infielder Lamar Newsome wears a protective insert under his cap, described as being "similar to those used in Australia by steeplechase jockeys." Although Newsome's insert is made of tape-reinforced felt, subsequent versions of the insert are made of lightweight plastic and catch on with many players. 1939: The International League -- one of the top minor leagues -- begins providing optional protective headgear to its member teams. 1940: National League president Ford Frick, concerned about numerous beanings, devises a primitive helmet similar to the one introduced by the International League the previous year. White Sox second baseman Jackie Hayes, a frequent beaning victim, wears it in a game, and other players try it out, including Cardinals outfielder Terry Moore. Jackie Hayes of the White Sox is known as the first player to wear a batting helmet during a major league game. Uni Watch archives1941: The Dodgers begin using caps with built-in pockets for "protective plates" that can be inserted when a player is batting. The Senators and Cubs also experiment with armored caps, although the protective plates in their caps are permanently sewn in. 1953: Pirates general manager Branch Rickey, who has a stake in the American Baseball Cap Co., arranges for the company to produce a lightweight batting helmet and mandates that it be worn by Pirates players. Rickey's helmet, which looks like a hard-hat version of a baseball cap and is flocked to simulate a cap's cloth fabric, marks the beginning of the modern helmet era. 1956: A new rule goes into effect requiring National League batters to wear protective headgear -- either a Rickey-style helmet or a cap insert. The American League adopts a similar rule in 1958. 1956: White Sox outfielder Larry Doby wears a Little League helmet while batting. (Similar helmets are worn in 1960 by Senators outfielder Jim Lemon and Indians outfielder Jim Piersall.) 1958: The Reds experiment with "air-conditioned" mesh caps during spring training. 1959: Another spring training experiment for the Reds, this time with an early version of earflapped helmets. 1961: After Twins catcher Earl Battey suffers a broken jaw, equipment manager Ray Crump devises a makeshift earflap attachment for Battey's helmet. (Similar attachments are later worn by Twins players Tony Oliva in 1964 and Jimmie Hall in the 1965 World Series.) 1964: Phillies outfielder Tony Gonzalez wears what appears to be history's first pre-molded earflap helmet, which looks pretty much the same as the ones that will be used for the next half-century. 1969: With Phillies fans mercilessly booing first baseman Dick Allen and sometimes throwing garbage and even batteries at him, Allen begins wearing a batting helmet while playing the field. (Helmets are later worn in the field by several other players, including George Scott and John Olerud.) A .295 lifetime hitter, John Olerud was also known for the helmet he wore in the field while playing first base. Sporting News/Getty Images1970: Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson begins wearing an earflapped helmet but finds the point of intersection between the flap and the brim to be distracting to his field of vision. So he takes a hacksaw to his brim and cuts it down to a mere nub, which he wears for the rest of his career. 1971: Batting helmets are made mandatory for all new MLB players, but veterans are permitted to keep wearing the plastic insert beneath their caps. 1978: Pirates outfielder Dave Parker fractures his cheek in a collision with Mets catcher John Stearns and returns to action wearing a hockey goalie mask, followed by a series of football face masks. (For more on Parker's masks, look here. For more on other players who've worn mask attachments on their batting helmets, look here.) 1979: Red Sox catcher Bob Montgomery, the last player to wear a plastic cap insert instead of a batting helmet, retires. His cap and insert are sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. 1983: Earflapped batting helmets become mandatory for new players, but veterans are allowed to keep going flapless if they choose. 1997: Blue Jays catcher Charlie O'Brien becomes the first MLB catcher to wear the hockey-style mask. 2000: Red Sox third baseman Gary Gaetti, the last player to wear a non-earflapped batting helmet, retires. The flap-free era ends. 2001: The flap-free era is revived as Tim Raines comes out of retirement and plays for the Marlins with a flapless helmet. He retires for good at the end of the 2002 season, finally bringing the flap-free era to a close. 2003: Mets catcher Jason Phillips becomes the first MLB backstop to wear his catcher's helmet with the brim facing forward instead of backward. The style slowly catches on with several other catchers, including Jeremy Brown, Kevin Cash, Wellington Castillo, Robert Fick, Jose Lobaton, Adam Melhuse, Wilson Ramos, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. 2004: Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal tries to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run by coming up to bat with a flap-less helmet. (Aaron never wore an earflap during his career.) Home plate ump Bill Welke makes him go back to the dugout for a flapped model. 2008: A new rule requires first- and third-base coaches to wear helmets. Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa initially vows not to follow the rule but eventually relents. 2009: Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster becomes the first MLB player to wear Rawlings' new S100 helmet, which offers better protection than the company's standard helmets (further info here). About half a dozen other players follow Dempster's lead and test-drive the S100, with most deciding that the helmet is too big, too heavy, or just too goofy-looking. Rawlings later retools the helmet and pares it down to a more manageable size. 2013: Marlins outfielder Juan Pierre, the last player to employ the once-common practice of wearing his cap under his batting helmet, retires. (This style began falling out of favor when earflapped helmets were introduced, because the flap made it more uncomfortable to wear the cap under the helmet.) ----------- It's worth noting that many of these developments were ridiculed at the time but nonetheless became part of the baseball firmament -- something to think about the next time you're smirking at Alex Torres and his protective cap. Special thanks to Larry Granillo and Todd Radom for their research assistance. Paul Lukas doesn't know who was the first player to wear a double-earflap helmet or else he would have included that on the timeline as well. If you liked this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch membership program, be added to his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here. Norm Cash, Bob Montgomery and Tony Taylor are three well-known American authors who write about small business management. They share their knowledge through articles, books and podcasts that can help entrepreneurs achieve success. Their insights have been featured in “The Wall Street Journal”, “Forbes” and other popular media outlets. If you’re looking for advice on running a successful business, these experts are worth considering. When Did Baseball Players Start Wearing Helmets?Norm Cash, Bob Montgomery and Tony Taylor are three of Nashville’s top session musicians. Aspiring musicians can learn from their experiences playing with some of the city’s most revered artists. Each musician has developed his own unique style over the years, which you can hear in every performance he gives. Catch a glimpse of Nashville’s musical landscape when you catch one of Norm Cash, Bob Montgomery or Tony Taylor in concert. Norm CashNorm Cash was one of the first baseball players to wear a helmet, and it became mandatory in 1924. Helmets were initially made from leather or cloth and were very uncomfortable for players. The modern-day helmet is made out of hard plastic with padding inside that protects the head from injuries sustained during play. Players who choose not to wear helmets are at a disadvantage when playing in leagues that require them by law. There have been many advances in baseball safety over the years, but helmets remain an important part of protective gear for players. Bob MontgomeryBaseball players have been wearing helmets since the 1800s. The modern-day helmet was developed in 1912 by Dr. George Kiselyov, a dentist and baseball player who suffered head injuries. Today, almost all Major League Baseball players wear helmets at all times during games and practices. Helmets also help protect against concussions and other head injuries in sports . In 1973, MLB enacted Rule 903 which requires that any pitcher who throws a pitch above the shoulders must wear a batting helmet. Tony TaylorBaseball players have been wearing helmets since the 1800s. The earliest iterations of baseball helmets were made from leather and fabric, but modern day helmets are more protective. In 1897, a player named Tony Taylor suffered a skull fracture when he was hit in the head with a ball while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. As safety standards increased, so did the popularity of baseball helmets- by 1939 over 90% of all players wore them on game days. There have been many advancements in helmet technology since then- most notably advances in foam and plastic materials that make them more durable and comfortable to wear. Why did they start wearing helmets in baseball?Helmets were first required in baseball in 1903 when the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first team to do so. Two players experienced serious injuries after not wearing helmets, so Larry MacPhail (the team’s owner) decided that all players would need to wear them from then on. The protective helmet design was based off of a regular baseball hat but with inserts meant to protect the player’s head in case of an accident. Helmet requirements quickly spread across MLB teams because of how successful the model of the Dodgers had been thus far- and today, nearly every pro ballplayer wears one due to this fact. Although there are still some who don’t believe that helmets should be mandatory for play, most professional athletes nowadays support making them standard equipment for any sport where contact is possible. When did base runners start wearing helmets?Baseball players started wearing helmets in 1919, when Congress mandated that all players use them. Helmets were optional for semi-pro clubs until 1924 due to public sentiment at the time. The NFL and MLB both adopted helmet requirements starting with the 1990 season. Before 1920, batting helmets weren’t mandatory but some baseball pioneers wore them anyway (like Abner Doubleday). In 2013, full-face helmets became compulsory for all batters in Professional Baseball. Who made the first batting helmet?The first batting helmet was made by Harry Wright in 1884. He designed it to protect the head of a batsman while they were hitting balls. Roger Bresnahan Created the First Batting Helmet in 1907Roger Bresnahan is credited with creating the first batting helmet in 1907. This piece of equipment helped to protect batters from head on collisions with a pitched ball, which can result in serious injury or death. Helmets Didn’t Become Popular Until After World War IIt wasn’t until after World War I that helmets became popular among players and fans alike. The modern baseball helmet was designed by Dr. James Andrews in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until several decades later that they started becoming mandatory for all players in organized sports leagues across the globe. There Are Different Types of Batting Helmets, Including Open-Face and Cage HelmetsThere are a variety of different types of batting helmets available on the market today, including open-face and cage helmets. Open-face bats don’t have any protection at all while cages offer more comprehensive coverage for your head and face area when making contact with a pitchball. Batting Helmets Protect Batters from Being Injured Head on Collisions with a Pitched BallBattinghelmets play an important role not only during games but also during practice sessions where hitters are working on their swing mechanics . By wearing one during these drills, you increase your chances of avoiding unnecessary injuries while practicing or playing baseball professionally. Why do MLB batting helmets only cover one ear?MLB batting helmets only cover one ear because this is the part of the helmet that is most likely to get hit by a batted ball. When a baseball hits a player’s helmet, it can cause serious injury if it goes straight into one of the ears. The Left Ear Flap Is ProtectedThe left ear flap on an MLB batting helmet is designed to protect it from injuries. This flap covers the ear and prevents debris or balls from entering into the ear canal, which could lead to hearing loss or other medical issues. Coaches Can Shout Instructions To The Left Eared Player Without Any DangerSince coaches can shout instructions directly to a player with a deaf ear, there is no danger of them being heard by anyone else on the field without wearing a batting helmet. There’s More Protection For The Eye If An Incoming Ball Hits The HelmetIf an incoming ball hits your batting helmet, there’s more protection for your eye since part of the liner inside the helmet is made out of soft foam material that rebounds instead of shattering like hard plastic would do when hit with a ball. It Allows Players To Hear Commands From Their Coach Even When They Are BattingOne advantage that wearing a batting helmet offers players is that they can still hear their coach’s commands even if they are hitting balls themselves- something not possible if they didn’t wear one. And lastly, because batters are protected at all points around their head except for one spot (near their eyes), helmets give athletes some level of safety in situations where less protective gear might not be enough such as during collisions at full speed while running towards first base after making contact with another runner attempting to steal second base; although this type of play has become much rarer recently due to stricter rules governing how and when runners may attempt steals. Did Jackie Robinson wear a helmet?Jackie Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color barrier is commemorated annually with the Major League Baseball Jackie Robinson Day. The first modern helmet was not mandatory for all players until after Robinson made his mark in MLB, and it is still not required by law today. There are a variety of theories as to why Robinson donned a batting helmet – one suggests he did so to try and protect his head from foul balls; others believe that he simply wanted an advantage over white opponents One iconic item associated with Robinson – the Dodgers cap he famously wore while playing for Brooklyn – is now considered an early form of a batting helmet Today, helmets are required by law for all players in organized sports. To RecapBaseball players started wearing helmets in the early 1800s to prevent head injuries. Today, most professional and collegiate baseball teams require their players to wear helmets. What Are Caps In Rugby? Caps are the official headwear of rugby union. They protect players from injuries that could potentially end their careers, such as concussions. Where Is The Sweet Spot On An Aluminum Baseball Bat? An aluminum baseball bat is a great choice for people who are looking to buy an affordable, durable and effective tool. However, there are some important factors that you should take into account before making your purchase. How Much Did A Baseball Cost In 1962? It costs $ 0.25 per ball at that time. Source: oldsportscards How Much Did A Baseball Cost In 1962 In a baseball cost around $ 0.25 per ball. How Wide Is A Batting Cage? A batting cage is an essential piece of equipment for any baseball or softball player. It gives players a safe and secure place to practice their swing, while also providing a fun and entertaining environment. How To Break In A Nokona Baseball Glove? Breaking in a new baseball glove can be frustrating, but with a little patience and some elbow grease, you’ll have the perfect glove for your batting needs. Here are five tips to help you break in your new glove fast: Warm up the glove before you start hitting. Can You Wash Batting Gloves? If you are a baseball player, then you know how important it is to have batting gloves on hand. However, washing batting gloves can be a bit of a hassle. |