[Joe_G.]

Glad to see a well written 19C BB article in a mainstream paper. The referenced book is a great read, especially after you get past the first couple chapters.

M'sFan - To answer some of your questions, yes catchers did catch full games without gloves, often catching the pitches right behind the batter whenver someone was on base (which could be better than half the game). The referenced book goes into great detail describing how catchers would prepare their hands for the punishment. By the early 1880s, some catchers began wearing primitive fingerless gloves, hidden chest protectors, and face masks to help reduce the risk of injury. By 1884 many pitchers were throwing over hand. Prior to 1884, pitchers pushed the rules with some awful high sidearm deliveres (and thus the rule change to allow what was already happening). It is evident that pitch speeds were fast even back in 1871 when professional baseball began (National Association's first year). The curve ball was introduced in the early 1870s which in itself requires some speed (overhand or not). Like today, successful pitchers had to be hard to hit. If you threw soft and were easy to hit, you would be replaced with someone better. It was during the 1870s that catchers faced the highest risk. They had no equipment and often played right behind the batter.