Batting helmet

In 1905, Mogridge created the first crude protective headgear and was granted patent No. 780899 for a "head protector." This first attempt at a batting helmet was said to look like an "inflatable boxing glove that wrapped around the hitters head." Roger Bresnahan, Hall of Fame catcher who was injured after being struck in the head with a pitch, developed a leather batting helmet in 1908 which he began using. In 1908, Chicago White Sox shortstop Freddy Parent wore a head protector of some sort and Chicago Cubs' first baseman-manager Frank Chance did the same thing in 1913, though Chance's headgear was "little more than a sponge wrapped in a bandage." Despite the fatal beaning of Ray Chapman in 1920, protective headgear was still used only rarely in the major leagues. That year, a syndicated news article claimed several baseball executives—including New York Giants secretary Frank McQuade—were trying to mandate the use of batting helmets. The article also asserted helmets were unpopular among players. The first known case of a manager issuing head protectors to his players on a large scale was Philadelphia Phillies' manager Pat Moran who gave cork-cushioned hats to his players in 1921. ==Revived interest (1930s–1950s)==

had been fatally struck in the head by a pitch. In 1936, Willie Wells, a Negro leagues player, was knocked unconscious with a pitch to the temple. Disregarding the doctor's advice to sit out, Wells wore a modified construction hard hat as protective gear in a game the next day. After Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher for the Detroit Tigers, suffered a career-ending and near-fatal skull fracture on May 25, 1937, on a pitch by New York Yankees' pitcher Bump Hadley, there was a strong call for batter helmets. Cochrane himself went on record saying that players should "absolutely" be required to wear protective helmets. Though the National League at this meeting did not adopt it, Jackie Hayes became the first player to wear the helmet in a game on August 22, 1940. that Major League Baseball enforced strictly mandatory use of the batting helmet for all batters. Veteran players, however, were allowed to choose to wear a helmet or not, as they were grandfathered into the rule. The last Major League player to bat helmetless was Bob Montgomery, who last played for Boston Red Sox in 1979, coincidentally the same year the NHL finally made helmets compulsory with a similar grandfather clause for veteran players. ==Modifications (1960–2000)==

player Jerry Kindall is photographed in 1961 wearing a batting helmet. In 1960, Jim Lemon became the first player to wear the new Little League helmet in a Major League game. These helmets were made with earflaps on both sides and were capable of withstanding a ball traveling at up to . One month later, Jimmy Piersall became the second player to wear the helmet in the Major Leagues. With the helmet being worn league wide in Major League Baseball, alterations began in 1961. On July 23, 1961, catcher Earl Battey was hit in the face with a pitch, fracturing a bone, and 10 days later returned to the field with a makeshift earflap to protect the injured area, though he only wore it for one game because he complained of difficulty seeing while wearing it. In 1964, the Phillies' Tony González was the first to wear a batting helmet with a pre-molded earflap. Prior to this, earflaps had been improvised. González was in the league top-ten in hit by pitches and the special helmet was constructed for his use. Shortly after this, Major League Baseball adopted the use of a helmet with a pre-molded earflap. Robert Crow was a plastic and reconstructive surgeon working for the Atlanta Braves in the 1970s when he invented a device that could protect players who were coming back from facial injuries. He called it a "C-Flap" after his last name and what it protected — the cheek. The device could be attached to the ear flap of the standard helmet to offer the added protection. The device did not become mainstream until decades later and in the meantime, players tried various things for the same purpose. For example, in 1978, the Pirates Dave Parker wore a hockey mask at the plate after he broke his cheek and jaw bones in a collision at home plate. This lasted only one game and Parker then tried to use a helmet with an attached two-bar football facemask. In 1983, it was made mandatory for new players to use a helmet with at least one earflap. Players who were grandfathered in could choose to wear a helmet without ear flaps, if they so desired. Players can choose to wear double earflap helmets in the major leagues; however, this is not mandatory. Tim Raines was the last player to wear a helmet without earflaps, during the 2002 season. His flap-less Florida Marlins helmet is currently at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Gary Gaetti, who retired in the year 2000, plus Ozzie Smith and Tim Wallach, who both retired in 1996, also wore flapless helmets until they retired. Julio Franco, who retired from baseball in May 2008, was the last active player eligible to wear a helmet without flaps, but he chose to wear a helmet with an earflap throughout his career. Some players, mostly switch hitters, also decide to wear double earflap helmets while batting. Players to do this include Willie McGee, Terry Pendleton, Vince Coleman, Mark Bellhorn, Shane Victorino, Orlando Hudson, and Jed Lowrie (all of whom are switch hitters). ==Recent developments (2000–present)==

wears a helmet with a protective guard during a 2016 game. Heyward started wearing the guard after being hit by a pitch in his face, which caused him to suffer a broken jaw. On April 8, 2004, celebrated as "Hank Aaron Day" in Atlanta because it is the 30th anniversary of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run, Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal came to the plate in the sixth inning with a helmet without an earflap, as a tribute to Hank Aaron, who played his entire career in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and therefore did not wear a helmet with an earflap during his playing career. Umpire Bill Welke made him get one with a flap. The majority of players now wear these new helmets but some including Ryan Howard stayed with the older style. wearing a helmet while he's behind home plate in 2024. The no-flap helmet is still utilized in baseball. Catchers often wear a flapless helmet along with a facemask to protect the head when receiving pitches. Occasionally, players other than catchers will wear a batting helmet without earflaps while playing a defensive position in the field. This is usually done by a player who has a higher-than-normal risk of head injury. One example is former major-league player John Olerud, who started doing so after undergoing emergency surgery for a cerebral aneurysm while attending Washington State University. An earlier example was Dick Allen, who decided to wear a helmet in the field after at least one incident of being hit by objects thrown by fans. Major League bat-boys/bat-girls and ball boys/ball girls are required to wear a helmet rather than a cap while performing their duties while on the field of play. They are allowed to use the no-flap helmet for this purpose, and many do. Following the 2007 death of Tulsa Drillers first base coach Mike Coolbaugh after being hit by a batted ball, there has been debate as to whether base coaches should wear helmets. Following the incident, the Oakland Athletics' Rene Lachemann decided to wear a helmet out to his third base coaching position. , former coach for the Atlanta Braves, is photographed with an on-field helmet in 2015. After the 2007 season, Major League Baseball made it mandatory for coaches to wear helmets beginning with the 2008 season, although some coaches, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers' Larry Bowa, have disagreed with the decision. In 2009, Major League Baseball decided to take action and protect players from the increasing number of concussions and head injuries. Rawlings came out with the S100 baseball helmet, named for its impact capabilities. It was able to withstand the impact of a baseball traveling at from away. The other baseball helmets used are only required to withstand a impact from away. The first Major League Player to wear this helmet during a game was Canadian-born Ryan Dempster, a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs. In 2018, several Major League Baseball players including Mike Trout and Bryce Harper began wearing the C-flap, an attachment to the earflap covering the jaw, invented by Markwort. The C-flap has caught on quickly throughout Major League Baseball and now batting helmet manufacturers such as Rawlings and Easton have begun producing helmets with a built-in earflap extension emulating the C-flap. On May 28, 2018, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins fractured his jaw when he fouled a ball off his own face against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hoskins, 25, was given a choice: miss four to six weeks or return after 10 days on the disabled list with a C-Flap on both sides for complete armament. Hoskins opted to return early with the double-C-Flap look, and just 12 days later, Hoskins made his return from the disabled list. Currently, all leagues up to and including Minor League Baseball require the use of a double earflap batting helmet, with certain state amateur leagues being one exception (e.g., South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association). In Major League Baseball, however, only one earflap is required (for the ear closest to the pitcher). ==See also==