Today In Sports History (February 12, 1878)

On this day in 1878, Harvard third baseman, and captain of the Harvard Nine, Frederick Thayer patented the baseball catcher’s mask. Before it’s creation, there had not been a lot of protective gear made for players. It was the development of the curveball, that truly created a need for protective gear for the catcher. It put them in a more vulnerable spot. Thayer came up with a prototype for at-the-time catcher, James Tyng. Improvements have been made to the catcher’s mask over time, but Thayer is still credited for the original creation.