# Should baseball pitchers wear a plastic cap? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 26, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897 "2012-10-26T01:50:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/1 "2012-10-26T01:50:22Z")
Doug Fister earler got hit by a line drive and is fine. Should pitchers, base coaches and umps wear protection? Seems like a good idea to me but tradition dies hard. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/2 "2012-10-26T01:57:14Z")
Base coaches usually do, don’t they? Field umps don’t need to, IMO. Pitchers should. They’re in a completely vulnerable position when that ball comes off the bat. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/3 "2012-10-26T02:03:37Z")
Could it be made light enough and secure enough to not interfere with pitching? I have a feeling that anything effective is gonna be really cumbersome. Base coaches and field umps aren’t trying to hurl balls into the 90+MPH range. If the damn thing shifted and fell across the pitcher eyes then he’d really be in the shit. Maybe it can be done but it’s going to take some looking into. I don’t think you can just take a base coach helmet and tell a pitcher “Here, put this on”. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/4 "2012-10-26T02:06:09Z")
Hard helmets don’t fit like felt caps do. A pitchers windup could cause the helmet to shift, obscuring their view or otherwise disturb the pitcher. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/5 "2012-10-26T02:11:57Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Hard helmets don’t fit like felt caps do. A pitchers windup could cause the helmet to shift, obscuring their view or otherwise disturb the pitcher. I agree that a batting helmet would be too unstable. I think you’d need to go soccer goalie helmet: [File:Petr Čech 4486.jpg - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Petr_%C4%8Cech_4486.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/6 "2012-10-26T02:20:01Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I agree that a batting helmet would be too unstable. I think you’d need to go soccer goalie helmet: [File:Petr Čech 4486.jpg - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Petr_%C4%8Cech_4486.jpg) I don’t think it would help. Pitchers tend to be hit in the front, more or less. The face moreso as the pitcher will be looking at the plate even when following through on the pitch. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/7 "2012-10-26T02:28:46Z")
[Study done](http://www.dtmba.com/mueller.pdf) on injuries to pitchers from batted balls. NCAA, aluminum bats. PDF > [@](#): > > The NCAA conducted an unpublished one year > study in 199798 > on Division 1 pitchers being hit > with a batted ball during games. Seventy two > of the 273 schools responded with 176 events of > pitchers being hit with a batted ball. Ninety seven > percent of the balls were hit with a metal bat. > Seventy one > percent of the pitchers continued to pitch after being hit and were not removed from > the game. Twenty eight > (16%) were treated by a trainer or physician but not removed from the > game, 22 (13%) were removed from the game, two were hospitalized, and one had surgery. **Six > percent were hit in the head or face, 2% to the neck**, 64% to the lower extremities, and 7% to the > torso. Ninety percent of the injuries were contusions, 1% concussions, and 1% fractures. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/8 "2012-10-26T02:34:07Z")
On first read I saw “cup”, and thought, “duh”. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/9 "2012-10-26T07:41:30Z")
Interestingly, cricket bowlers often end up closer to the batter than a baseball pitcher does but I don’t recall them ever wearing any head protection. In fact I’d be surprised if they wore any protection at all as that would limit their run-in and action. They do get the ball hit at them on occasions and are injured but rarely have I seen them struck on the head. Mind you, the bowlers are normally aware to the possibility of taking a catch and so may be attuned to the ball coming back to them and can catch or avoid as required. Looking at the stats upthread it sounds like it isn’t much of an issue for baseball either, I expect for much the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/10 "2012-10-26T12:55:06Z")
How often do pitchers get hit in MLB? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/11 "2012-10-26T13:00:25Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > How often do pitchers get hit in MLB? It’s pretty common for them to get hit by ground balls. Serious injuries from line drives are rare but it seems to happen at least once a year. Brandon McCarthy of the A’s had a skull fracture and other injuries after he was hit by a line drive in September. I don’t know if helmets are practical for pitchers. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/12 "2012-10-26T13:34:14Z")
Seems to me they could wear a hard skull cap under or instead of the regular baseball cap that wouldn’t shift. Also seems to me no existing pitcher would choose to do so. Maybe if this was started in little league it might catch on 10-20 years from now. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/13 "2012-10-26T13:38:45Z")
Brandon McCarthy [will be](http://c0014509.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/x2_edffd4e) sure to wear one going forward… Bonus drool cup. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/14 "2012-10-26T14:55:31Z")
There’s been research done on this, and there are a number of easy solutions. [Here’s an article](http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/line-drive-comebackers-head-trauma-studying-protective-headgear-for-pitchers-brandon-mccarthy-juan-nicasio-091712) on what MLB has uncovered. I can’t imagine it’d be that hard to fabricate a kevlar shield to be put inside a baseball cap, or even somesort of cushion or wireframe that would baffle the blow. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-baseball-pitchers-wear-a-plastic-cap/638897/15 "2012-10-26T19:49:41Z")
I’d imagine that once MLB adopts a rule requiring protective headgear, it might be enforced only on pitchers entering the big leagues in that year or later. As precedent, I offer Bob Montgomery, a catcher with the Red Sox. Although batting helmets were made mandatory in 1971, he and other veterans were “grandfathered” in. Montgomery stayed helmet-free until he retired in 1979, formally ending the “optional” era.