Getting a new baseball glove is fun and exciting, but typically they start out stiff and hard to close. In order to fully enjoy it, some steps are needed to break it in and loosen its leather. Baseball players through the ages have used numerous---and sometimes bizarre---ways to break in their mitts, but according to former Major League Baseball player Harold Reynolds, there are some effective ways to get your glove the way you like it.
Step 1
Stuff three baseballs into the pocket of the glove and wrap athletic tape tightly around the glove keeping the baseballs in place
Step 2
Soak the taped-up glove in the water bucket for three to four minutes. Remove the glove from the water bucket, dry with a towel, bend the wire hanger through an opening of the glove and hang it up to dry for approximately 12 hours.
Step 3
Remove the tape and the baseballs from the glove. Apply a liberal amount of glove oil or shaving cream to the glove. Coat the entire glove and rub the oil in fully without saturating the glove.
Step 4
Use the glove as often as possible. Play catch with someone to both form and soften the glove.
Step 5
Oil the creases of the glove regularly. When not in use, leave the glove wrapped in athletic tape with the baseballs stuffed into its pocket.
Tips and Warnings
- Reynolds suggests beating the palm of the glove with a baseball bat to soften and flatten that part of the glove.
- Some baseball-glove manufacturers recommend against submerging a baseball glove in water, citing risks of drying or cracking of the glove's leather.
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