Facts About Wooden Baseball Bats
Nothing says summer like the crack of a baseball against a wooden bat. Wooden baseball bats have been a part of the game since about 1850. Popular manufacturers of wooden bats include Louisville Slugger, Wilson and Rawlings.
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Hickory
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Early baseball players commonly used bats constructed from hickory, which is a very strong, heavy wood. Babe Ruth used hickory bats that weighed about 3 pounds.
White Ash
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Most modern wooden baseball bats are made with northern white ash from New York or Pennsylvania. White ash is a hard, durable wood.
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Maple
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Maple baseball bats became popular after Barry Bonds used them during his record-breaking home run season in 2001. Maple bats are typically stronger, heavier and more expensive than traditional ash bats.
Bamboo
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Several wooden bat manufacturers produce bamboo bats. Bamboo baseball bats consist of pressed bamboo strips, which are extremely hard and have a greater tensile strength than steel.
Louisville Slugger
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Louisville Slugger baseball bats first appeared when a carpenter named John Hillerich made a wooden bat for a professional baseball player back in 1884. The company plant is still located in Louisville, Kentucky.
Fun Fact
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In 1900, the legendary Honus Wagner became the first baseball player to have his name burned into a Louisville Slugger baseball bat.
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References
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- Photo Credit Creative Commons photo by fishrmann: sxc.hu
