Batting glove

Typically consisting of a leather palm and back made of nylon or another synthetic fabric, the glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, prevention of blisters, warmth, improved grip, and shock absorption when hitting the ball.

[citation needed] During the 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers season, Lefty O'Doul and Johnny Frederick began experimenting with accessories as "shock absorbers" to combat hand injuries.

O'Doul wore "an ordinary street glove" to the plate during games while Frederick bandaged his hands "with the same sort of material that is used to stuff shoulder pads worn by football players."

[2] In 2013, an hour-long documentary, called “Hawk: The Colorful life of Ken Harrelson,” began airing on the MLB Network.

Ken describes, after playing 27 holes of golf with fellow players, Ted Bowsfield, Gino Cimoli, and Sammy Esposito, he went straight to the ballpark for a game against the Yankees, whereby he developed a blister on his left hand during batting practice.

A close-up of a Baltimore Orioles player's batting gloves
Kyle Isbel of the Omaha Storm Chasers grips a bat using gloves during a 2021 game