I don't believe that Robby is wearing a batting glove on his '57 card-- looks like a sweat band to me. The coloration and detail seem to show his hand as just that--his hand. Also seems unlikely to me that they would have had color coordinated batting gloves that long ago. I believe black or white/cream would have been about it, at least for golf gloves (I'm not sure baseball batting gloves had even been marketed yet--maybe someone with old equipment catalogues can chime in).
As noted, Hawk is largely credited with wearing the first glove in a regulation game--a golf glove in 1963. However, a couple of others are alleged to have worn them in Spring training, and since that is when many of the photos were taken by Topps, cards before 1964 could depict them, but I am skeptical.
Edited to add: I didn't see any '65 Topps cards showing batting gloves after a quick skim, but saw 4 from the 1966 set, which at least pre-dates the Oliva in the OP: Bob Allison, Walt Bond, Joe Azcue and rookie Bobby Murcer.
Edited again: 1964 seems to have two cards with batting gloves: Lee Walls and Lou Jackson.
__________________
If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other. - Ulysses S. Grant, military commander, 18th US President.
Last edited by nolemmings; 07-14-2015 at 10:21 AM.
|