Why do players use Gloves to catch a baseball?

Question

sorry, ive played cricket all my life so catching bare handed comes naturally to me, u could say my hands are all knocked in lol,
but getting back to my point i tried catching baseball the other day, first off its lighter than a cricket ball. p.s i had my buddy wail one at me to see how it feels when it has some zing to it.. to be honest it was alot easier than catching a cricket ball.

your thoughts?

sorry need to clarify, i realize catchers uses gloves and thats fine, catcher or keeper in cricket also uses gloves but the rest of the fielders dont, also now adays cricket bowlers are also touching 90-95 mph.

Answer 1

Gloves have evolved with the game, in the beginning when abner doubleday invented the game, nobody wore gloves, they came later. Kind of like a "eureka moment" when that third baseman or pitcher took that scorching line drive off his fingert-tips, OUCH.
I need to put a pad on my hand next time!

Now, gloves are bigger paddier, and help the players make plays they never could without them. Plus, if an owner is investing say 25 million dollars a year for Alex Rodriguez, than you bet your sweet A&& that he'll be wearing a glove on his fielding hand.

I've never played cricket, although it looks like an awesome sport, i'd love to learn sometime soon.

Gloves are also make it much easier to scoop balls thrown in the dirt, or those short- one hoppers. Which is an essential part of infield defense.

May i ask, why not where a glove in cricket? Is it illegal or something?

Answer 2

Cuz you Europeans are some crazy bastards. or Indians or anywhere other than America I suppose. In comparison perhaps it is easy, however I'm not sure that's to say it doesn't hurt. A baseball is still pretty hard. Way back when baseball players did not use gloves but broken bones kept people out for long periods of time and cost their team. Besides that, gloves allow for a wider basket in which to catch the ball.

Answer 3

Most professional cricket players have a baseball glove in their equipment bag. This is often used in specific training drills. Why? For the exact same reason that baseballers use them. To protect the hand.

I think the more logical question would be why don't cricketers all use gloves to catch cricket balls? Because you can bet your Aunt Maisey that if all cricketers were allowed to wear gloves instead of just the keeper, they damn well would.

Answer 4

Well, even though it's possible, you don't want to injure a guys hand having a ball thrown 100 mph, catching it bare-handed. Best reason for wearing gloves: to not get injuries. If you catch it wrong, or even miss the ball, the baseball going extremely fast could seriously injure you. Also, if a ball is coming at your face, a glove is built so it's larger than your hand, so you can put it up to block it. Since your hand is small, and you can't see the ball coming, you might miss and would cause serious damage. You wear gloves to avoid serious injuries. I'm sure you'll understand.

Answer 5

I've never played cricket and don't know how it is played but this is the best way that i could explain it.....Picture yourself as a pitcher facing Albert Pujols, you throw a 95 mph fastball and he hits a line drive at your face. the ball is now going over 100 mph. Now i ask you would you rather break your hand and your face because the force of the ball in your hand will still hit your face, or would you rather have a glove to protect yourself.(don't get me wrong the glove will still hit your face but wouldnt hurt as much because of the padding instead of bone on bone).

Also, try catching a ball that is hit a mile in the air (exaggeration i know) and stand directly under it and catching it bare-handed. It is simple mathematics the velocity of the ball being hit is greater than when its thrown.

Answer 6

Well they use golves because it is a way to protect your hands from injury. Do circket players play 162 game seasons? I'm not sure but my guess would be no. Also it is a lot easier to catch with a glove than without. Its not a question of why we use gloves it's more of a question of why don't cricket players use one.

Answer 7

There are two reasons:
1. first get your buddy to whack a ball at you using a baseball bat instead of throwing it at you with his hands. Because when it comes at you at 100 mph, it breaks bones.
2. The design of the mitt (especially the part between the thumb and the index finger) helps catch the ball better so it's like you have a little net on your hand. (Same thing with a goalie's glove in hockey.)

That's just the way the game was invented I guess...

Answer 8

I tried catching a baseball without a glove. It really hurts. You probably thought it was easy because the ball wasn't coming at 90-100 mph.

Answer 9

Yes they are. If you've never seen it before take a look. One of the greatest catches I've ever seen was a bare handed catch by Kevin Mitchell in LF for the Giants in I believe the early 90's. It was an amazing catch on the run. Infielders do it on bunts, but those aren't "catches" they're ground balls. Also I've never seen anyone catch a ball with their hat, nor do I think it's legal to use your hat. Kevin Mitchell is the only person I've ever seen make a barehanded "catch".

Answer 10

i have actually seen pro baseball players have their hands broken during a game by a hit ball. the glove is to help pad the hand from the ball. if the cricket ball is going as fast as you mention, what is the ball made of? Baseballs are very hard objects.