Outfield players wearing gloves?

Question

Why in baseball do the players wear a glove when fielding? I play cricket (in england) and the only person that wears gloves is the wicket keepers (back stop?).

The rest of the players are expected to catch / stop the ball with only their bare hands. Yet in baseball all of the fielder have gloves. Is this because they are a bunch of pansies? or not. Please put forward your arguements

I would love to know the real answer.

Rich

Is a baseball a lot harder than a cricket ball?

Answer 1

Well I suppose you can call baseball players pansies, but there is more to it in my opinion. Sure you cricket players have guts, but baseball gloves have been a fixture in the game for decades. Players have grown up using a glove since childhood and have grown accustomed to doing so. Also, it would be senseless not to try to keep broken hands/fingers to a minimum so that the player can play when there are gloves available to limit it. Also players use gloves to do things such as flip the ball without using their hands on a double play (although this is rare), catch balls going over the wall in teh outfield (robbing a home run), and making diving plays. Catchers have 90 mph balls coming at them and also must be able to catch balls changing direction and balls that are not thrown where they expect in a quick manner. At the pitcher position, pitchers use the glove to disguise their pitches. 1st basemen need to scoop the ball with their gloves at times. Hopefully you understand my "arguments." To turn this around on you (just food for thought), how come cricket players wear padding on their legs and baseball players don't? Interesting question, huh?

Answer 2

Baseballs and cricket-balls seem to be pretty much the same in hardness and dimensions, both are leather covered cork and about 5inches across. Both are about 5oz - cricket balls are slightly heavier. Both are regularly propelled at over 90mph. Both can be hit over a hundred yards into the outfield.

20/20 cricket and baseball have a lot in common. I think (and other writers agree) fans of the two games have a lot in common. I like watching both.

If wicket keepers were padded like a baseball catcher then there would never be a bye. Wicket keepers don't wear as much padding and so they stand further back from the wicket.

Its a bit like American football, armour protects you which means you can tackle harder.

For the people who say a American football player "wouldn't last 5 minutes in rugby league" I'd be inclined to agree, but I also think the reverse is true.

Batsmen in cricket bat for much longer (hours and even days!) and hit more balls than baseball hitters because its a batsman's game. The cricketer aims to average 40.00 runs per innings, the baseballer aims to average 0.300. Thats a big difference!

Baseball gloves protect you which means you can catch more balls. Its much more of a pitchers/fielders game

To sum up it seems to me to be that baseballs are rarely dropped by outfielders whereas cricketers regularly drop catches. Baseball fielders are rarely injured and are easily replaced, cricketers are regularly injured and full substitutes are not allowed.

Its a different dynamic to the game and a different problem for the respective players to solve.

Answer 3

Because the ball is harder and travels at a much faster speed. Plus Cricket is not considered a real sport in north America. Its more of a game for pansies who run around like wild turkeys and make no money.

Answer 4

If baseball players were made to stop the ball with their hands, you'd have longer games due to the endless line of grotesque hand injuries. It'd just be a long afternoon of watching grown men writhing about the field in immense pain.

Answer 5

ill make you an offer. come over to america dn let me throw a baseball directly at you as hard as i can. then well see if u can catch a baseball hit directly at you. if u can do both of these without breaking anything u have the right to call baseball players pansies. until then i think u cricket players r nuts

Answer 6

If those are your only options, then the first baseman's mitt is your best bet. You'll notice all pro ballplayers who play the outfield are rockin' the seriously large gloves. When trying to make a diving catch, the extra couple of inches can make all the difference... good luck!

Answer 7

without a glove, a baseball is pretty hard to catch without breaking your hand

Answer 8

A baseball can come at you well over hundred mph most times and you would break you hand!

Answer 9

Bunch of softies the football players wear are that padding .Or rugby players don't

Answer 10

ask ya doc