The batting helmet protects baseball players from serious injury or death as a result of being hit in the head by the ball. Major League Baseball made batting helmets mandatory for all batters in 1971. The organization's Official Rules outline specific guidelines regarding batting helmets.
Batters
According to the Major League Baseball rulebook, you must wear a protective batting helmet at bat. In National Association League competition, you must wear a double ear-flap helmet at bat, and in Major League competition, you can wear either a single or double ear-flap helmet at bat. If the batter reaches base, he must wear the helmet the entire time he's on the base paths. If you do not wear a helmet, the umpire will remind you of the rule and ask you to put one on. If you refuse to follow the rule, the umpire can eject you from the game and fine you.
Other People on the Field
Catchers and bat and ball boys and girls must wear protective helmets while on the field. As of 2007, base coaches must also wear protective helmets on the field. A 2008 mlb.com article cited Bob Watson, MLB vice president of rules, who said that base coaches who failed to follow the new helmet rule would be ejected from games and heavily fined.
Helmet Interferences
The rulebook outline the various ways that batters can get out. This section details a variety of potential cases involving balls hitting the batting helmet. If a batted or thrown ball hits the batting helmet while it remains on the batter's head, the play continues as if no interference has occurred. If a batted ball hits a batting helmet lying on the ground in the foul zone, the umpire will still call the ball foul. If you purposely interfere with a ball's path by dropping the helmet in the way, the umpire will call you out and the ball dead.
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