Who Invented the First Baseball Bat?

Here, at Electro-Mech, we are big fans of all things sports- baseball included. We not only produce electronic baseball scoreboards but also strive to provide you with coverage of baseball history, facts and scandals. Here, we look at some interesting baseball bat facts.

There is no definitive answer to who invented the first baseball bat. In baseball’s infancy during the mid 1800’s players brought their own bats to the game. They were of various sizes and shapes and contributed to some funny facts in the history of the baseball bat. In recorded history it was a 17 year old kid who invented the baseball bat as it is known today. So let’s take a walk down memory lane and discover the history of baseball bats and some unusual tidbits along the way.

The History of Baseball Bats

With no regulations in place regarding baseball bats in the early years, players were free to experiment with the design of their homemade bats. They came in all shapes and sizes as batters tried to gain a competitive advantage. Different types of wood were used until they found that wagon tongue worked best. They also learned that a round bat worked best for hitting a fastball.

1. Players once used flat surface baseball bats for bunting when round bats became the norm. Kind of hard to surprise the other team when you stand at the plate with a 2×4 in your hand, but I digress.

The first rules in the history of the baseball bat made their appearance in 1859 when it was decided they could not exceed 2.5 inches in diameter. They could be any length the batter desired until 1869 when they capped it at 42 inches. Bats could still be any shape and flat bats were still allowed.

2. The Pine Tar Incident occurred on July 24, 1983 when George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hit an apparent home run off “Goose” Gossage of the Yankees. Yankee manager Billy Martin had the bat examined by the umpire and it was determined that the pine tar on the bat extended too far up the handle. Brett was called out, the Yankees were declared the winners and he became known as the only player to ever hit a game losing homerun.

3.In 1900, the great hitter Honus Wagner became the first player to have his autograph burned into a Louisville Slugger.

The 1890’s brought about another rule change in the history of the baseball bat. The diameter allowance was increased to 2.75 inches and the tip of the bat had to have a round end.

4. The Pine Tar Incident wasn’t over as the American League President over-ruled the umpire’s decision and declared the game be resumed at a later date. Brett’s homerun was reinstated and the Royals eventually won. The New York Post ran a headline “Tar Wars” in response. The bat is on display in the baseball Hall of Fame.

Recent history of the baseball bat brings us to players using “corked” bats for, supposedly, more hitting power. Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs was the most recent offender when he was caught with a corked bat on June 3, 2003. Graig Nettles of the New York Yankees was caught in the 1970’s with six super balls in his bat.

5. The TV show “MythBusters” created a special on corked bats and determined that it actually decreases power and distance. I guess these guys never actually tried out the bats before using them in a game.