Baseball was invented in the United States as a spin off to the European game of rounders, also known as cricket, in the early 1800s, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology's website. Modern baseball and its equipment were launched into the history books by Alexander Cartwright in 1845 and the soldiers of the Civil War. This marked the introduction of baseball bats.
Cricket vs. Baseball
In the early 18th century, Europe's wealthy were enthralled with games of cricket, a game that required the use of a stick to hit a ball that was thrown to the hitter. In gameplay, an attempt was made to touch all the bases in the oval field, while avoiding being touched by the ball. Cricket was not the first game using early versions of today's bat, as clubs were previously used in the Middle Ages in even earlier ballgames. Baseball bats were crude in the beginning of U.S.baseball, with players being responsible for making and maintaining their own bats, according to Bernard Mussil, 1944 Major League Pitcher of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Early Bats
In early baseball there were not specific restrictions on bat size and shape, only that it was durable enough to withstand ball hits at high speeds. For this reason many early bats were homemade and crude in appearance, resembling small clubs. According to Mussil, players used different woods to determine if any one material were better than the other in baseball. For example some players may fashion their bats of oak while others used more durable maple, taking mental note of the effects of the wood on the strength of hit, ease of swing and distance gained during their game. Eventually, through this experimentation, the round bat was determined to be the most effective bat in baseball.
Introduction of Regulations
The first bat size regulation was implemented by the Professional National Association of Baseball Players Governing Committee in 1859. According to Baseballbatbin.com, bats were restricted to a diameter of 2.5 inches; however length was up to the ball player and had no imposed restrictions until 1869. At this time, bats were restricted to a maximum of 42 inches in length. The problem of splinters and handling difficulty was still present despite these regulations, so players began wrapping the grip with twine, leading manufacturers to provide carved notches and smoothed edges in bats by 1879.
Louisville Slugger
Bud Hillerich, heir to the Louisville, Kentucky based family business, J.F. Hillerich, Job Turning, was an amateur baseball player apprenticed to his father and business founder J. Frederick Hillerich. The family business was a woodworking shop that provided everything from bed frames to table legs. Bud had the idea to make his own bats, extending his knowledge to the creation of bats for his entire team, according to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. Many legends surround the introduction of Bud's bats into baseball history, but one thing is for certain, in 1894 the Louisville Slugger brand was trademarked, beginning its successful rise to fame. In 2009, the Louisville Slugger celebrated its 125th year of national fame.
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