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The First Baseball Bat Used
At Elysian Field in Hoboken, New Jersey the first recorded baseball game was played. Each player was responsible for making their own baseball bats, so the size and length varied. The bats that they used were more like a cricket bat because they had flat surfaces. Nobody had the same baseball bat as another person. Since the baseball game was played so long ago their is no real pictures of the bats they used. http://www.stevetheump.com/Bat_History.htm -
Shift to Round Bats
Then people's bats started to look more uniform. They used wagon tongue wood because that wood hit the ball farther. People also realized that the baseball bat was better when it is round because they could get more solid contact. Players continued to make their bats larger and of any length. The batter had the definite advantage over the pitcher. http://www.stevetheump.com/Bat_History.htm -
First Restrictions
In 1859, the Professional National Association of Baseball Players Governing Committee voted to have limitation on bat sizes. They said that bats could be no larger than 2.5 inches and they could still be at any length. http://www.stevetheump.com/Bat_History.htm -
Gripping the Bat
In 1861-1865, during the civil war, players started to have trouble gripping the bat. They started to wrap the bat handle with cord or string. They managed to get a better grip on the bat. http://www.stevetheump.com/Bat_History.htm -
Limit on Legnth
In 1869, they finally put a limit to how long the bat can be. The longest a legal bat can be is 42 inches. Surprisingly ,this is still a rule today. -
Common bat in 1879
Players had to get used to the new bat rules, because they changed the game back then. In 1879 it was said that long and slender is the common style of bats. Also, the handle had a carved knob for a better grip. http://www.stevetheump.com/Bat_History.htm -
Louisville Slugger
This is when the first major bat company was created. They made good bats for their time. They were mostly wood. -
BBCOR
Today we have to use bbcor bats because people have got to strong. The bats were way too strong and good.
