A batting helmet is the protective headgear worn by batters in a game of baseball or softball. It is meant to protect the batter from stray pitches thrown by the pitcher. A hit by pitch, caused by either a wild pitch or a purposeful attempt to injure the opposing team's batter can cause serious injury. Batter can have several meanings: In cooking, batter is a thick or thin mixture, usually made of a ground grain, a liquid, and a fat. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... Softball is a team sport in which a ball, eleven to twelve inches (28 to 30. ... A baseball pitcher delivers the ball to home plate In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitchers mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a... In baseball, being hit by a pitch refers to the batter being hit in some part of the body by a pitch from the pitcher. ... In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged to a pitcher when a pitch is too high, too low, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to field capably, thereby allowing one or more runners to advance or to score. ...

Traditionally, a batting helmet covers the back, top, and sides of the head, and at least one ear. The left ear is covered for right-handed batters and the right ear for left-handed batters, whichever ear faces the pitcher. Batting helmets that cover both ears are common as well, though almost exclusively worn by switch-hitters in the Major Leagues. In the minor leagues, such helmets are mandatory, except for major leaguers on rehabilitation assignments. A human ear An ear is the organ used by a human or an animal to detect sound waves. ... A person who is right-handed is more dextrous with their right hand than with their left hand: they will write with their right hand, and probably also use this hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... People who are left-handed are more dextrous with their left hand than with their right hand: they will probably also use their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... In baseball, a switch-hitter is a batter who is able to hit from both the right and left sides of the plate. ... Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America. ... Look up Rehabilitation on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Rehabilitation is the restoration of lost capabilities, or the treatment aimed at producing it. ...

Batting helmets were not mandatory in Major League Baseball until 1971, a result of several years of hospitalizations due to injury from hits to the head. However, they had been in use for several years prior to being made mandatory. In the 1950s and 1960s, players batting without helmets still used plastic inserts inside their baseball caps. After 1971, players who were grandfathered in could still choose whether or not they wanted to use a helmet. Some players, most notably Norm Cash and Bob Montgomery continued to bat without a helmet through the end of their playing careers. Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ... In American English, a grandfather clause, or grandfather rule, is an exception that allows an old rule to continue to apply to some existing situations, when a new rule will apply instead in all future situations. ... Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1934 - October 12, 1986) was a Major League Baseball first baseman and left-handed batter who played for the Chicago White Sox (1958-1959) and Detroit Tigers (1960-1974). ... Bob Montgomery (born April 16, 1944 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played in the American League for the Boston Red Sox from 1970 to 1979. ...

In 1983, it was made mandatory for new players to use a helmet with at least one ear flap. Players who were grandfathered in could choose to wear a helmet without ear flaps. Players can choose to wear double ear flap helmets in the major leagues, however, this is not mandatory. Tim Raines was the last player to wear a helmet without ear flaps, during the 2002 season. Gary Gaetti and Ozzie Smith were two other players to continue wearing the ear flap-less helmet well into the 1990s before retirement. Technically, as of the 2006 season, there is still one player left with a long enough career in the big leagues and could wear a helmet without flaps: Julio Franco. However, he has chosen to wear a helmet with an ear flap throughout his career. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In American English, a grandfather clause, or grandfather rule, is an exception that allows an old rule to continue to apply to some existing situations, when a new rule will apply instead in all future situations. ... Timothy Raines (born September 16, 1959 in Sanford, Florida), nicknamed Rock, is an American former left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his speed and ability to get on base. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Gary Joseph Gaetti (born August 19, 1958 in Centralia, Illinois), nicknamed G-Man (Rat during his earlier days), is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins (1981-90), California Angels (1991-93), Kansas City Royals (1993-95), St. ... Osborne Earl Smith, known as Ozzie Smith (born December 26, 1954), is a former Major League baseball player born in Mobile, Alabama. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from 2000 and 2001. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Julio César Robles Franco (born August 23, 1958 in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball player with the New York Mets. ...

On April 8, 2004 - "Hank Aaron Day" in Atlanta, the 30th anniversary of Hank Aaron's famous 715th home run, Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal came to the plate in the sixth with a helmet without an ear flap, as a tribute to Hank Aaron, who did not wear a helmet with an ear flap during his playing career. Umpire Bill Welke made him get one with a flap. April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Henry Louis Hank Aaron (born February 5, 1934) is a retired American baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. ... Rafael Antoni Furcal (born August 24, 1978 in Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic) is a shortstop in Major League Baseball who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... In sports, an umpire is an official appointed to rule on plays and procedure. ...

Occasionally, a player who is at a higher-than-normal risk of head injury will wear a batting helmet without ear flaps in the field. One notable example is former major-leaguer John Olerud, who started doing so after undergoing emergency surgery for a cerebral aneurysm while attending Washington State University. A baseball field is a playing field used for baseball. ... John Garrett Olerud (born August 5, 1968 in Seattle, Washington) is a retired American first baseman in Major League Baseball who, as of 2005, was playing for the Boston Red Sox. ... A cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. ... For the state of Washington in the United States, please see Washington. ...

Major League bat-boys and ball-boys are also required to wear the no-flap helmet while performing their duties while on the field of play.

In 2006, several Major League teams began using the Coolflo batting helmet, manufactured by Rawlings.The helmet was designed with vents to allow for increased air flow. It was previewed during the 2005 All-Star Game before being put into regular use. It will be available to all Major League teams in 2007. [1] 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Coolflo is a batting helmet designed by Rawlings and first put into regular used during the 2006 Major League Baseball season. ... Rawlings is an American company that manufactures sports equipment. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. ...