Comments on: How to Break In a Leather Baseball Glove

on 5/15/2009 when i was younger we used to rub plenty of shaving cream into the glove. then place a softball into the webbing and tightly wrap the whole glove with cord or twine. then place it in a cool dry place and after a week the glove was a hell of alot softer and held its shape indefinitely.

on 5/18/2007 gdsf

on 8/27/2006 Rub your oil/cream on the glove, let it dry for a few minutes, then hit it with a baseball bat for a while.

on 8/8/2006 Put two baseballs in the pocket, wrap it with a shoelace, and put it under your mattress for a few nights.

on 8/8/2006 Baking your glove in the oven will cause glove drying. It will cause the glove to dry out and ruin the lifespan of your glove. Buy Franklin's Dr. Glove and condition your glove once a month. Try to avoid oils which will weigh your glove down. Shaving cream also works. Do not oil Pro Preferred gloves. Also, clean your glove with a damp cloth after a game.

on 8/8/2006 Turning your glove inside also helps to open your glove up. Just push the outside of the glove in and keep it like that for a while.

on 8/8/2006 Use more than one thing. Use shaving cream for the whole glove and use oil for the pocket. Once you have done this, stick a ball in it roll it up and stick it under your mattress.

on 8/8/2006 Play a little catch, if it's not getting any softer, try this:
Put a baseball where you want the ball to go when you catch it in your glove. Mine is right on the finger tips so I can grab it fast. Wrap it with 3 rubber bands and put it under your mattress. If you glove is like mine, it wouldn't work all that great, so play a little more catch, then do it again. It should be great now.

on 8/8/2006 I've played baseball all my life and I've broken in all my gloves, from my high end Rawlings Heart of the Hide, Wilson A2000 to my TPX Pro (Horween leather) glove.
I do recommend oil, such as Rawlings Glovolium, the cream by Rawlings, or Wilson's Pro-stock (which contains lanolin). Those products are made to preserve your glove.
Simply put some of the oil or lotion on a rag and wipe it evenly on the back and in the pocket of the glove. Let it dry overnight and play catch. Put 2 to 3 baseballs (or 1 softball) in the pocket and wrap it with a sock. It should conform to your hand and pocket. After that, you can condition it with the cream.

on 8/8/2006 I know this will sound strange, but try it before you knock it. Soak the glove overnight in a bucket of water, the next day wrap the glove in newspaper, replacing the paper if it is completely soaked, the next day put glove oil on it, and play catch. I guarantee this will work.

I didn't think it would work, so I bought a cheap $20 glove, tried it, and now I use this method on every new glove I get!

on 8/8/2006 There are many dont's and do's to break in a baseball glove.
Some dont's:
Do not drive over the glove.
Do not put too much glove oil on the glove. It makes the leather crack.

What to do:

1. Grab the glove by the heel and twist it back and forth. Do this with the fingers and thumb of your glove as well.
2. Use some Rawling's Glovolium Leather Treatment to soften your new glove. Put a small amount of Glovolium on a towel or rag and rub it all over the pocket, web and back of your glove. Do not over-lubricate -- it will ruin you glove. The reason for Rawling's Glovolium is because I have tried many kinds of oils and Glovolium works the best. Let it dry overnight. Let it sit in a cool, dry place.
3. Put 2 baseballs in the pocket -- one in the web and one just below the other. Tightly rubber band the glove together. Make sure the glove closes evenly or one cm from being even. Let it sit for about 2 days in a cool, dry place.
4. Play catch. Use it as much as possible. This will let you get a feel for the glove, and let the glove mold to your hand after all of its treatments.
5. Maintain. Inspect the laces every 3 months and make sure they are in good shape. Use more Rawlings Gloveolium following step 2's directions. Do not use more than 3 times a year.

Good luck with your new glove that has been broken in the way the Pros do it.

on 8/8/2006 The first thing I would do with a new glove was use oil or shaving cream and try to play catch for a little while. I found the best way to develop a pocket in my gloves was to put a softball inside of it, wrap it with pre-wrap or an elastic and then cover it with a towel. Then, I run my car tire up over it and leave it there for about an hour or so. The key here is that you have to get the tire to sit on your glove perfectly, if not, you'll probably mess up your glove. I at one point broke in a glove for every member on my team using this method, because it works!

on 8/8/2006 The best way to break in a glove is to microwave it. This softens the leather, and makes it open and close easy. Also, oil it and stick it under your mattress.

on 8/8/2006 Get a wet rag and generously moisten the inside of your new leather glove. Then, go outside and put your glove on the grass, laying open. Get a bat and repeatedly hit the palm of the glove. Then put a baseball in the glove and tie it shut until it is dry. Take shaving cream or glove conditioner and rub it inside the pocket of the glove. Then play catch a lot.

on 8/8/2006 DON'T
1. Do not run your glove over with a car, it will get too floppy.
2. Do not use Vaseline, it will crack your glove.
3. Do not soak in water, it will ruin the leather.
4. Do not put in heat, that will also crack your glove.
5. Do not spit in your glove, the chemicals in spit will ruin the leather.

DO
1. Play catch!
2. Use shaving cream.
3. Put your ball in the glove and wrap it up.
4. Take the glove and stretch the sides, do this a lot.
5. Punch the inside of your glove.
6. And to make your glove look new, use shoe shine.