players and their gloves

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Posted By: Andy Cook

In what year, approximately, did players stop leaving their gloves on the field when they went in to bat? If you look at old film of games at the end of the inning the field players would just toss their gloves out to the outfield grass and jog in. This is just a curiosity question.

thanks,
Andy

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Posted By: David Goff

I thought it was mentioned on the Ken Burn's movie that they stopped doing that in the late 40's. I'd have to watch it again to verify.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

And I thought it was in the early 50's...

But it is around in there somewhere, definitely after WW II, and definitely before 1960.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey Andy,

From googling around a bit, I found this:
http://books.google.com/books?id=o3U765oSQG8C&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=baseball+players+gloves+%22left+on+the+field%22 +rules&source=web&ots=6pWKdj3nEd&sig=O346YxyYm9RhwMVC1NDKHiBkl74

So I think there was a change to the rules in late 1953 or early 1954, saying that equipment can't be left on the field.

So I think what we need is someone with the 1954 rules, finding the rule about equipment...

3.14 Members of the offensive team shall carry all gloves and other equipment off the field and to the dugout while their team is at bat. No equipment shall be left lying on the field, either in fair or foul territory.

That's the rule. We need folks with 1953 rules, and earlier sets, to see if rule 3.14 is in there.

And if it is, then it resorts to a search of when it was enforced.

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Posted By: Clint

I just talked to Daryl Spencer who played with the Giants in the 50's. He said he remembers doing this in 1953. He went into I believe the army and missed out on the 1954 and 1955 seasons. When he came back he said they no longer did this. The above post sounds correct to me.

Clint

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

On page 114 of Noah Liberman's book, Glove Affairs, the first full
paragraph on that page says:

"But many of the best stories come from even looser days, like
the years before 1954, when major league players still left their
gloves on the field between innings."

The author then mentions a few things that players and coaches did
to gloves left on the field by the "other" team.

So I think that that baseball either adopted or started enforcing
rule 3.14 in 1954. That would be consistent with Mr. Spencer's
recollections. I'd still like to see a set of 1953 rules to see if
that rule is in there...