Safety Tips: Baseball

Baseball has been the U.S. national pastime for more than a century. It's a lot of fun to play, but injuries can happen from things like wild pitches, batted balls, and collisions in the field.

These safety tips can help protect players.

What Baseball Safety Gear Do Players Need?

Wearing and using the right baseball gear can help prevent injuries. Safety rules for most leagues include using:

• Batting helmets. These must be worn whenever a player is at bat, waiting to bat, or running the bases. Some leagues may even require pitchers to wear batting helmets. They should always fit properly and be worn correctly. If the helmet has a chin strap, it should be fastened. If it has an eye shield or other faceguard, this should be in good condition and securely attached to the helmet.
• Baseball cleats. These shoes should have molded plastic cleats (spikes) on the soles rather than metal ones to help grip the ground. Most youth leagues don’t allow metal cleats.
• Baseball glove. Make sure it is the right size and broken in to make fielding the ball easier. Players can ask their coach if they're not sure how to loosen up their glove.
• Athletic supporters. Most players should wear ones with protective cups, especially pitchers, catchers, and infielders.
• Catcher's gear. There’s certain gear catchers should wear when they catch pitches during warm-ups, in the bullpen, or during a game. A catcher should always wear a helmet, facemask, throat guard, full-length chest protector, athletic supporter with a cup, shin guards, and a catcher’s mitt.

While batting, some players like to wear a mouth guard and batting gloves that can keep hands from getting sore while hitting. Shin guards and foot guards can protect players against a foul ball that goes straight down off their bat and hits their leg or foot. Some players wear sliding pants or shorts that go under baseball pants help prevent scrapes and cuts.

Bats should meet the standards of the league and have a USA baseball logo on them.

How Can Baseball Players Stay Safe?

Before starting the season, players should get a sports physical. Their doctor can check for any health problems and talk about sports safety. Most schools won't let athletes play unless they've had a sports physical within the past year. Being in good shape can help players avoid injuries.

The coach should encourage safe and fair play, so it's important to learn the rules and techniques, like how to slide the right way. It’s also important for the field to be in good condition and have breakaway bases (bases that can move if someone slides into them). Having a first-aid kit at all practices and games is key too.

Athletes should warm up and stretch before playing. If they feel pain or get hurt during practice or a game, they should stop what they're doing and get checked by an athletic trainer, coach, doctor, or nurse before playing again.

How Can Pitchers Stay Safe?

Too much pitching can lead to serious injuries. These guidelines can help keep pitchers safe:

• Follow league rules for the maximum number of innings pitchers can throw.
• Stick to the pitch count limits recommended by the U.S.A. Little League and the American Sports Medicine Institute:
  • 11–12 years old: 85 pitches a day
  • 13–16 years old: 95 pitches a day
  • 17–18 years old: 105 pitches a day
• After pitching a game, follow the rules for how many days to rest. While it might be a bummer to not pitch, the rest rules are there to prevent elbow and shoulder injuries that could keep pitchers on the bench much longer. 
• Pitchers should take at least 2–3 months (4 months is best) in a row off per year from overhead sports (ones that involve a lot of overhead arm movements, like baseball or volleyball).
• Players shouldn't pitch for more than one team at a time. When not pitching, they shouldn't play catcher.
• Pitchers should not pitch if their throwing arm hurts.