The Mizuno Corporation, one of the world's top sports equipment manufacturers, has been particularly well known for its baseball equipment since the early 1900s. While catcher's mitts are like a mitten and heavily padded, pitcher's and infielder's gloves are smaller, more flexible and fit your hand more snugly. Mizuno manufactures a wide variety of baseball gloves to fit all positions, sizes and preferences, and can make custom gloves as well.
Origins
Rihachi Mizuno, a kimono shop employee, saw his first baseball game in Japan in 1906 at the age of 18 and became a loyal fan. He opened a baseball-equipment store shortly thereafter and began to manufacture his own equipment. During World War II, Mizuno took a hiatus to build gliders for the Japanese military, and after the war, he turned to housewares. Mizuno soon returned to his first love and began making baseball equipment again, using sailcloth to fashion his baseball gloves.
United States
Mizuno joined global sports equipment manufacturers in the mid-1900s. The company supported the 1964 Olympics and the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Mizuno became known for innovative baseball glove manufacturing in 1977 when the company began to supply custom-made gloves to Major League Baseball players. Master craftsman Nubuyoshi Tsubota held glove-making workshops during spring training and customized gloves for players on the spot. Pro ball players using Mizuno equipment grew to nearly 30 percent.
Growth
Mizuno's grandson Masato became president of the company in 1987 and helped it prosper. Within two years, 240 MLB players used Mizuno gloves and shoes. Mizuno USA opened a baseball glove manufacturing plant at its corporate headquarters in Norcross, Georgia, and in 1996 Mizuno USA was the only manufacturer of handcrafted professional catcher's mitts. Five of every six baseball and softball medal winners in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics used Mizuno equipment.
Reinvention
In 1995, facing an economic downturn, Mizuno USA was consolidated at the Georgia location. The Mizuno Corporation opened a production facility in China and focused on global development in the late 1990s, and by 2000 had regained its position as the No. 1 baseball company in the world, with more than 400 professional baseball players using its equipment worldwide.
Modern Day
Mizuno USA continues to manufacture and sell baseball and other sports equipment in the global market. The company's website offers more than 60 models of baseball gloves for youth and adults in every position.
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