Throat guard
![Bautista and Pena get into an argument after a play at the plate. (9188259614)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Bautista_and_Pena_get_into_an_argument_after_a_play_at_the_plate._%289188259614%29.jpg/220px-Bautista_and_Pena_get_into_an_argument_after_a_play_at_the_plate._%289188259614%29.jpg)
A throat guard is a piece of protective equipment worn in various sports, including baseball, ice hockey, and lacrosse. Throat guards can be made of metal, leather, and/or plastic, and may be built in to a mask or attached separately.
The guard was invented in 1976 by Los Angeles Dodgers trainer Bill Buhler after catcher Steve Yeager was impaled in the throat by pieces of a broken bat. It was designed to hang from the bottom of the catcher's mask and protect against foul balls.[1] This guard was compared to a goat's beard.[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Gerry_Davis_2011.jpg/220px-Gerry_Davis_2011.jpg)
The guard is now required in numerous youth and amateur baseball leagues, including Little League. The NCAA requires it for baseball and softball.[3] Numerous umpires across the world opt to use the guard as well.
References
[edit]- ^ Bush, Frederick C. "September 6, 1976: Dodgers' Steve Yeager suffers near-fatal on-field accident". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Dickson, Paul (13 June 2011). The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third ed.). W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393073492. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Anderson, Marcia; Barnum, Mary (17 May 2021). Foundations of Athletic Training: Prevention, Assessment, and Management. Wolters Kluwer Health. ISBN 9781975161392. Retrieved 16 February 2023.