BASEBALL GLOVE

In 1919, Cardinal pitcher “Spittin’ Bill” Doak went to the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company of St. Louis and pitched a new idea in glove design. Essentially, the plan introduced an adjustable laced web from the thumb to forefinger that formed a deep natural pocket and didn’t need to be broken in.

Little did Doak know that his idea would revolutionize the fielder’s glove as the most important design feature in 50 years. Rawlings rolled out the Doak model to the public in 1920 and hired a chief glove designer named Harry Latina two years later. Gloves soon became indispensable tools of the game.