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The History Of Baseball Bats: Louisville Slugger, Wood And Aluminum
By:
Published: November 15, 2006
Baseball bats have come a long way since the early days of the sport.
In the 1800s, the first players used ash or hickory wood to fashion their baseball bats with no regard to shape or size regulations. Long, short, heavy, light, round or flat: every style of baseball bat had a chance to prove its worth for hitting a baseball.
By 1869, these experimentations led to two rules: a rounded barrel no more than 2.5 inches around, and a maximum length of 42 inches. As the game of baseball matured, neither of the rules changed; the same rules apply for professional baseball today.
In any reasonable discussion about the history of baseball bats, the brand name Louisville Slugger will eventually come up. This brand has long-since been the hallmark of excellence for baseball bats used at all levels of play.
According to company legend, the brand found its origins in 1884 when teenager Bud Hillerich— apprentice to his father's woodworking shop in Louisville, Ky.—approached local professional baseball player Pete Browning after a game young Hillerich attended, offering to make Browning a new bat to replace the one he shattered during the game. Browning agreed, and in his first game with Hillerich's bat had three hits. Baseball players—always known to be superstitious—claimed from then on Browning and a growing group of his teammates and friends would only use Hillerich's bats.
Baseball historians often question whether someone other than Pete Browning had the first bat from the Hillerich shop and whether Bud's father, J. Frederick Hillerich, actually made the prototype. Regardless, Hillerich's woodworking shop—small, local and unassuming as it was—became the center of a burgeoning baseball bat dynasty. By 1894, the Hilleriches trademarked the name Louisville Slugger and the company stopped producing its other products to focus exclusively on the production of baseball bats.
The 1970s saw the introduction of aluminum baseball bats to the market. These new bats, developed by the bat manufacturer Worth, promised a more lightweight, durable alternative to their heavier predecessors. Swinging a lighter bat, players would be able to increase bat speed, thus being able to hit the ball harder and farther than before.
Later in the 1970s, the Easton baseball bat company further developed Worth's idea, introducing a stronger grade of aluminum responsible for launching the product into the realm of instant success.
Despite their mass popularity, Major League Baseball (MLB) has never sanctioned any metal alloy baseball bats for use. They not only go against the tradition of the storied American pastime, but MLB deems them detrimental to competition and safety among its players. White ash and, more recently, maple, remain the most popular types of bats in professional baseball.
Metal alloy baseball bats remain a force in the bat industry today for amateur baseball leagues, with manufacturers turning their attention to the popular titanium and other metal alloy models.
A great deal of money is spent annually by bat manufacturers trying to find any scientific advancement to make their baseball bats the next great development.
Sources:
Duffy, Sam. "The SamBat Story." St. Lawrence County Newspapers. 2006. 08 November 2006. <http://www.thomasjduffy.com/bats.htm.>
Baseball Bat History. Baseball Bats Net. 2005. 08 November 2006.
<http://baseball-bats.net/baseball-bats/baseb all-bat-history/index.html.>
Gluckman, Jason. "History of Baseball Bats." EzineArticles 19 September 2006. 11 November 2006 <http://ezinearticles.com/?history-of-baseball- bats&id=303204>.
Louisville Slugger History. Louisville Slugger Museum. 2006. 09 November 2006.
<http://sluggermuseum.org/sluggerhistory.aspx .>
In the 1800s, the first players used ash or hickory wood to fashion their baseball bats with no regard to shape or size regulations. Long, short, heavy, light, round or flat: every style of baseball bat had a chance to prove its worth for hitting a baseball.
Related Articles
By 1869, these experimentations led to two rules: a rounded barrel no more than 2.5 inches around, and a maximum length of 42 inches. As the game of baseball matured, neither of the rules changed; the same rules apply for professional baseball today.
In any reasonable discussion about the history of baseball bats, the brand name Louisville Slugger will eventually come up. This brand has long-since been the hallmark of excellence for baseball bats used at all levels of play.
According to company legend, the brand found its origins in 1884 when teenager Bud Hillerich— apprentice to his father's woodworking shop in Louisville, Ky.—approached local professional baseball player Pete Browning after a game young Hillerich attended, offering to make Browning a new bat to replace the one he shattered during the game. Browning agreed, and in his first game with Hillerich's bat had three hits. Baseball players—always known to be superstitious—claimed from then on Browning and a growing group of his teammates and friends would only use Hillerich's bats.
Baseball historians often question whether someone other than Pete Browning had the first bat from the Hillerich shop and whether Bud's father, J. Frederick Hillerich, actually made the prototype. Regardless, Hillerich's woodworking shop—small, local and unassuming as it was—became the center of a burgeoning baseball bat dynasty. By 1894, the Hilleriches trademarked the name Louisville Slugger and the company stopped producing its other products to focus exclusively on the production of baseball bats.
The 1970s saw the introduction of aluminum baseball bats to the market. These new bats, developed by the bat manufacturer Worth, promised a more lightweight, durable alternative to their heavier predecessors. Swinging a lighter bat, players would be able to increase bat speed, thus being able to hit the ball harder and farther than before.
Later in the 1970s, the Easton baseball bat company further developed Worth's idea, introducing a stronger grade of aluminum responsible for launching the product into the realm of instant success.
Despite their mass popularity, Major League Baseball (MLB) has never sanctioned any metal alloy baseball bats for use. They not only go against the tradition of the storied American pastime, but MLB deems them detrimental to competition and safety among its players. White ash and, more recently, maple, remain the most popular types of bats in professional baseball.
Metal alloy baseball bats remain a force in the bat industry today for amateur baseball leagues, with manufacturers turning their attention to the popular titanium and other metal alloy models.
A great deal of money is spent annually by bat manufacturers trying to find any scientific advancement to make their baseball bats the next great development.
Sources:
Duffy, Sam. "The SamBat Story." St. Lawrence County Newspapers. 2006. 08 November 2006. <http://www.thomasjduffy.com/bats.htm.>
Baseball Bat History. Baseball Bats Net. 2005. 08 November 2006.
<http://baseball-bats.net/baseball-bats/baseb all-bat-history/index.html.>
Gluckman, Jason. "History of Baseball Bats." EzineArticles 19 September 2006. 11 November 2006 <http://ezinearticles.com/?history-of-baseball- bats&id=303204>.
Louisville Slugger History. Louisville Slugger Museum. 2006. 09 November 2006.
<http://sluggermuseum.org/sluggerhistory.aspx .>
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