William “Gunner” McGunnigle grew up around Brockton and played for the Howard Juniors, leading the team to the Junior Championship of Massachusetts in 1874. He later became a professional baseball player and manager.
In 1875, while playing catcher for the Fall River team, McGunnigle was dealing with sore hands from catching without a glove. Before a game against Harvard, he tried using a pair of thick bricklayer’s gloves. The gloves made throwing difficult, so he took a jackknife and cut the fingers off the right-hand glove.
The result was an early version of the catcher’s mitt.
The idea caught on, and the 1895 Reach’s Official Baseball Guide credited McGunnigle with first using a catcher’s mitt in 1875.
McGunnigle eventually returned to Brockton, where he continued his baseball career. His experiment with a pair of work gloves helped pave the way for one of baseball’s most recognizable pieces of equipment.
Written by: Justine McConnell, SNHU, BuzzAround Intern
