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 Equipment
and clothing
- Bat: A rounded,
solid wooden or hollow aluminum bat. Wooden bats are
traditionally made from ash wood, though maple is also
sometimes used. Aluminum bats are not permitted in
professional leagues, but are frequently used in
amateur leagues.
- Ball: A cork
sphere, tightly wound with layers of yarn or string
and covered with a stitched leather coat.
- Mitt: Leather
glove worn by players in the field. Long fingers and a
webbed "pocket" between the thumb and first finger
allow the fielder to catch the ball more easily.
- Catcher's mitt:
Leather glove worn by catchers. It is larger and
better-padded than the standard fielder's mitt.
- Batting glove:
Glove often worn on one or both hands by the batter.
They offer additional grip and eliminate some of the
shock when making contact with the ball.
- Batting helmet:
Helmet worn by batter to protect the head and the ear
facing the pitcher from the ball.
- Hat: Baseball
cap worn by all players. Designed to shade the eyes
from the sun, this hat design has become popular with
the general public. When at bat, players usually put
their batting helmet right over their soft hat.
- Catcher's helmet:
Protective helmet with face guard worn by the catcher.
- Uniform: Shirt
and pants worn by all players. Each team generally has
a unique pattern of colors and designs.
- Athletic supporter
and cup: A hard plastic shell which protects the
genitals from injury. The "cup supporter" (also known
as a "jockstrap" or "jock") is a special undergarment
designed to hold the cup in place without restricting
movement.
- Sliding shorts:
Padded support shorts sometimes worn to protect the
thighs when the player slides into the bases.
- Spikes:
Baseball shoes have spikes to increase traction on
dirt and grass. Different levels of competition may
allow different types of spikes. For example, Major
League Baseball allows metal spikes to be worn while
lower levels of competition (such as Tee-Ball or
beginner baseball) may only allow plastic spikes.
Baserunners will often use the spikes to their
advantage by executing an aggressive slide, feet first
towards the fielder, with the goal of "breaking up" a
double play. Spikes are also sometimes referred to as
cleats.
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