Did Hawk invent the batting glove?

by The Cheat on Aug 21, 2007 3:31 PM CDT in News

According to a recent piece on ChiSox.com, Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson is credited with having been the first player to use a batting glove. Wikipedia, citing The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, confirms the the story. However, there's an obvious inconsistency in his account of the incedent.

The Major League player given credit for first using batting gloves might never have had such a distinction if not for his love of golf and the modest baseball salaries at the time he suited up.

"Well, necessity is the mother of invention," said Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, when asked about the batting glove's inception back in 1963.

[...]

According to Harrelson, the Yankees had switched from the scheduled right-handed starter to Whitey Ford, the left-handed Hall of Fame-bound hurler. Harrelson began to take batting practice when he noticed a blister forming on his left hand from the 27 holes of golf.

[...]

On the day that Harrelson first used the golf glove to protect his blister, he slugged two home runs. By Harrelson's account, the Yankees' bench jockeys got on him something fierce for using the glove.

Harrelson hit 6 home runs in 1963. All in separate games.

He did, however, hit 2 homers in a game started by Whitey Ford in 1964. So perhaps he just remembered the incorrect year, which isn't too bad considering it was over 40 years ago.

0 recs | Comment 21 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I thought everyone knew

the Hawk invented the batting glove.

Dubee and Danks and pray for Taco Bell

by hscs on Aug 21, 2007 3:34 PM CDT 0 recs

pointed out when he entered the booth in 1982

Might have been in the team's media guide that year, to try to give some spark (along with the celebrity that was Don Dryyyyyyyysdale) to the Broadcast Team That Replaced Harry.

by asinwreck on Aug 21, 2007 3:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

and added to whitesox.com today

to add some spark to an awful season. I know I'm feeling it. I wonder if a 'viewer' email regarding batting gloves is going to make it to Hawk the next time the booth is interactive.

Dubee and Danks and pray for Taco Bell

by hscs on Aug 21, 2007 3:57 PM CDT up 0 recs

I see I wasn't the first

who went running to BR-PI when they read the article... Discussion of the same discrepancy on BBTF...

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Aug 21, 2007 3:35 PM CDT 0 recs

You have done your homework

whereas I only supplied a link, you went and got the SI article. Impressive.

He still needs to do a Richard Cory. How embarassin'. He'd have been strung up in Latin America. (Did you see the 3 batters sans gloves are all Latin? And Moises pees on his own hands for strenght, so he COULDN'T wear gloves.)

Playing out the string

by winningugly on Aug 21, 2007 3:50 PM CDT up 0 recs

Old Man, I'm impressed that

you know how to use a compter!
i saw your joy last night at discovering someone even more decrepit than you.

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Aug 21, 2007 5:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

I liked the guy who blamed Hawk

for Maris's decline and the escalation in Viet Nam.

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Aug 21, 2007 5:13 PM CDT up 0 recs

LOVE Hawk's suit on the cover

-Jeeves Life in the Cell, a Sweet Home Sports site

by jeeves on Aug 21, 2007 4:24 PM CDT 0 recs

Natty.

Looked good with a (golf) club in his hands.

Playing out the string

by winningugly on Aug 21, 2007 7:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

More Hawk...

by SSH2005 on Aug 21, 2007 4:50 PM CDT 0 recs

He looks like the type

who'd walk to the plate from the on deck circle like a real cocky asshole. Groovy Nehru jacket Hawk.

But seriously, I always love speed.

by ChicagoPete on Aug 21, 2007 5:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

hawk was the cockiest asshole of his time

He was the first guy to reject a trade too.

Dubee and Danks and pray for Taco Bell

by hscs on Aug 21, 2007 5:06 PM CDT up 0 recs

YAH!

look how cocky he looks in that second one from the left, that's got brian anderson written all over it

-Jeeves Life in the Cell, a Sweet Home Sports site

by jeeves on Aug 21, 2007 5:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

Hem would've loved kicking his ass.

But seriously, I always love speed.

by ChicagoPete on Aug 21, 2007 5:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

He looks much thinner then

Has he been juicing as of late?

Playing out the string

by winningugly on Aug 21, 2007 7:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

PS

Do you see why he thinks Owens is a keeper? Hawk had a robust .212 BA, .692 OPS AFTER the 2 HR game. A thumper. Hawk's stats make Owens look like Rickey Henderson.

Playing out the string

by winningugly on Aug 21, 2007 7:50 PM CDT up 0 recs

could you imagine...

a player of Hawks calibre on the SI cover these days?

Alex Cintron?

I cant

Steve Stone for President

by Gus on Aug 21, 2007 10:47 PM CDT 0 recs

considering his OPS in 1968 was 155

and he was third in MVP voting, yes, i could imagine a player of hawk's caliber on the cover.

Jerry Owens: he's a g*ddamn lead off hitter

by larry on Aug 22, 2007 10:25 AM CDT up 0 recs

Hawk a victim of the "SI Cover Jinx"

though it perhaps lasted longer than usual (all the way to his GM career and broadcasting careers).

The sun shone on Hawk's ass pretty early in life - hope he enjoyed his run.

Playing out the string

by winningugly on Aug 22, 2007 11:30 AM CDT up 0 recs

VG

It works every time.

by ballyb on Aug 22, 2007 12:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

ask, get answer

from nate silver chat today. i figured i'd get an "expert" to weigh in on JD.

larry (Chicago): Your thoughts on the Jermaine Dye re-signing?

Nate Silver: In the isolate, I think it's probably about a breakeven deal for the White Sox. Dye hasn't had a horrible season -- his numbers are depressed mostly because he didn't hit for any batting average in the first half, and he's actually in the Top 5 in the American League in home runs right now. At least they were able to buy low on him. Still, I think the Sox really blew it by not trading Dye and Buehrle in-season and grabbing some prospects. You can still sign an equivalent player this winter, or you could even re-sign Dye after the rental.

Jerry Owens: he's a g*ddamn lead off hitter

by larry on Aug 22, 2007 4:07 PM CDT 0 recs