protection in the manner of the catcher. The pitcher, all the fielders and the batters too.
Playing softball in the army, I was criticized for not wanting to make basket catches Willie Mays style in the outfield. I've been popped in the nose all too often from balls that rolled up out the pocket of my underhand glove and hit me in the face or bounced off the heel of my glove and did the same. I became gun shy of holding my glove low and with the pocket facing up. Many MLB outfielders don't like basket (underhanded) catches also. It used to drive my grandparents nuts to see OVERHAND one-handed catches. There was the fear of dropped balls and committed errors. Using the bare non-gloved hand trying to contain a ball bouncing out of the low palm-up glove also hurts my tender fingers. I therefore liked to catch the ball high and not low to keep the ball in my line of sight. Keeping the glove at eye level shields my face and my non-gloved hand can assist in closing the glove's webbing upon the catch without exposing my tender fingers to the fast, hard ball.
If non-catcher fielders had masks, they might not be afraid of catching low. I've also seen batsmen hit in the face from a low pitch that took a bad bounce at the plate off the dirt.
Playing softball in the army, I was criticized for not wanting to make basket catches Willie Mays style in the outfield. I've been popped in the nose all too often from balls that rolled up out the pocket of my underhand glove and hit me in the face or bounced off the heel of my glove and did the same. I became gun shy of holding my glove low and with the pocket facing up. Many MLB outfielders don't like basket (underhanded) catches also. It used to drive my grandparents nuts to see OVERHAND one-handed catches. There was the fear of dropped balls and committed errors. Using the bare non-gloved hand trying to contain a ball bouncing out of the low palm-up glove also hurts my tender fingers. I therefore liked to catch the ball high and not low to keep the ball in my line of sight. Keeping the glove at eye level shields my face and my non-gloved hand can assist in closing the glove's webbing upon the catch without exposing my tender fingers to the fast, hard ball.
If non-catcher fielders had masks, they might not be afraid of catching low. I've also seen batsmen hit in the face from a low pitch that took a bad bounce at the plate off the dirt.
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