Baseball pants have come a long way since the sport began in 1876, but you might be wondering why do baseball players wear pants? After all, baseball is typically played in the heat of the summer and wouldn’t shorts be more comfortable and make more sense?
Baseball players wear long pants because it protects their legs from the dirt and grass when they slide and dive during the game. It also gives infielders added protection from their sliding opponents. In addition to protection, baseball pants have been a tradition ever since the game got started.
In this article, I’ll explain in detail the reasons why baseball players wear pants and what their advantages are. You’ll also learn everything you need to know about baseball plants.
Why Baseball Players Wear Pants
At first glance it might seem odd that baseball players wear long pants when the majority of their games are played in the summer. However, if you think about it, wearing pants makes a ton of sense for baseball players.
Here are the four main reasons why baseball players wear pants.
Sliding Protection
An important part of the game of baseball is sliding. Base runners will slide into bases to avoid a tag or to break up a potential double play. Sliding on dirt at full speed is an easy way to break open your skin or get a rash. In efforts to reduce the friction caused when sliding baseball pants and long socks are worn to prevent any potential injury from sliding.
Diving Protection
One of the most exciting plays in baseball is when fielders dive to catch a fly ball or to stop a hard hit grounder up the middle. These diving plays are a blast to watch but can be hard on the fielder making the diving play. Baseball pants give some extra protection to the players from the grass, dirt and turf as they sacrifice their bodies to make a play for their team.
Cleat Protection
If you are an infielder you’ll have opponents sliding into bases right at your feet with metal spikes. Speaking from experience this can be painful and you’ll want to have all the protection you can get. Baseball pants give players an added layer to help prevent their legs from getting spiked and rough up from close plays at the base.
This can make a big difference over the course of a game/season and will protect players from scrapes and wounds caused by metal cleats.
Traditional Baseball Look
Another reason why baseball players wear pants instead of shorts is because of baseball tradition. In the early days of baseball the founders thought that pants would look more professional than shorts or other styles of clothing. This tradition still stands today and baseball pants are standard at every level of the game. This vintage baseball looked is done by rolling or folding up the baseball pant.
History of Baseball Pants
The baseball sport we know now first got its start in the mid-1840’s when a team called the New York Knickerbockers were the first team to play under the modern baseball rules. The baseball uniforms were quite different back then. Players pants were long and baggy and made of wool. This made the pants quite heavy and very uncomfortable to play in during the summer.
Many players at that time found these baggy long pants not to be practical and so they started rolling up their pants near their knees and wearing long socks. Eventually this caught on as well as belts and became the baseball uniform we know today.
To learn more about the history of the baseball uniform check out this article by exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org
Types of Baseball Pants
Baseball Pants Styles
In baseball there are three main baseball pant designs most teams wear: pinstripe, piped design and a solid design. These pant designs are used at every level of baseball.
Solid Baseball Pants
The most basic style of baseball pants is what is called a solid design. Solid baseball pants don’t have any stripes and are one solid color. This design makes for a clean and simple look. Most teams have a pair of solid pants included in their set of uniforms.
Piped Baseball Pants
The piped style of baseball pants are pants that have a solid strip on both sides of the pants. This added stripe gives the pants a unique, fresh look without being too busy. Like solid pants this style is very popular and can be matched with a lot of different jersey tops.
Pinstripe Baseball Pants
Pinstripe baseball pants typically have a white or gray base with multiple stripes that run from the waist of the pants down to the hem. Pinstriped pants are considered to be a vintage baseball look. Pinstripes were first worn on some Major League Baseball teams in 1907 and later were modified to have larger stripes in 1912 so fans could see the stripes more clearly.
How To Wear Baseball Pants
Much like any other sport, baseball players have certain preferences regarding how they prefer to wear their uniforms. How baseball players wear their pants is really a matter of style, preference and comfort.
Here are three main ways baseball players will wear their pants.
Long
Perhaps one of the most common ways baseball players wear their pants is just as they come. Keeping their pants long gives the player added protection when diving and sliding and they don’t have to worry about folding or hiking up their pants. You’ll see baseball players at all levels wearing this style.
High (Rolled Up)
Many baseball players choose to roll up or fold their baseball pants. This is considered to be a vintage look and comes from the early days of baseball when players would roll up their pants to be more fashionable and make their pants more functional. This knicker style of pants look very popular and many players and entire teams will wear their pants this way.
Check out this video on how baseball players roll or fold up their pants for a vintage clean look.
Do Baseball Players Roll Up Their Pants?
There are some baseball players and teams that choose to roll up their pants and show their socks.This is considered to be a classic baseball look that is still common in today’s game of baseball. Other players opt to wear their pants long or some even choose
Why Do Baseball Players Tuck Their Pants Into Their Socks
Another unique way some baseball players prefer to wear their baseball pants is by tucking their pants into their socks. This allows players to hike up their pants and hold them in place as they move throughout the game.
Why Do Baseball Players Tuck Their Pants Under Their Cleats
Every once in a while you may notice a baseball player that is wearing long baseball pants that they have tucked under their cleats. At first glance you might think this is odd and wonder why a baseball player would do this.
The reason why some baseball players tuck their pants under their cleats is simply a choice of fashion. You can make the argument that tucking their pants under their cleats would prevent potential dirt from entering their cleats. However most of the baseball players I know tuck their pants under their cleats because they think it looks cool.
Why Do Baseball Players Wear White Pants
While attending a baseball game you might notice that one of the teams is wearing a white uniform with white pants. This might seem odd because at the end of the game the white uniform will be covered with dirt and grass.
The main reason why baseball players wear white pants and uniforms is because of tradition. There are also some practical reasons why white pants were first introduced to America’s favorite game.
Here Are The Reasons Why Baseball Players Wear White Pants
Distinguishing between Home & Away Teams
In baseball it’s traditional that the home team wears a white based uniform, while the away team’s uniforms are gray or more colored. This helps umpires, fans and coaches tell the difference between the two teams.
Tradition
Another reason why baseball players wear white pants is because of baseball tradition. Baseball pants have come a long way since the sport started but some of the first teams like the Braves, Cardinals and Pirates uniforms included white pants. This look has become a baseball standard and most teams typically have a uniform that includes some type of white baseball pants.
Cooler Temperature
It’s well known that lighter colors will keep you much cooler than darker colors will in the heat of the summer. Many baseball games are played during the heat of the summer making white pants and uniforms much more comfortable.
What Do Baseball Players Wear Under Their Pants
Baseball pants provide players with important support and protection as they play the game. However, you might wonder what do baseball players wear under their pants?
Most baseball players wear some type of sliding shorts and a cup underneath their baseball pants. Sliding shorts are compression shorts designed to be worn underneath a player’s pants. They give the player additional padding along the hips and thighs. They also have a convenient pocket to hold a cup if you decide to wear one.
I’ve also known some baseball players wear sliding shorts, a cup and then another pair of sliding shorts over the top. The extra pair of sliding shorts helps keep a baseball cup in place and reduces friction between the cup and the player’s leg.