The Difference Between Baseball And Cricket Part Two

Baseball and cricket are major team sports known the world over. Though they may seem to be alike in some ways, there are subtle differences between the two which makes each sport unique. The following are the most obvious equipment differences between the two sports.

1) The glove

The biggest difference between the two sports is the use of a glove. In baseball, the glove is made of leather and is used to catch the ball. Each of the players on the fielding team has one to protect the hand from the velocity of the ball. The difference for the baseball's glove is the catcher's mitt which is much more heavily padded, since it would be catching the ball at high speeds as thrown by the pitcher.

In cricket, the only player using gloves would be the batsman. In essence, the batsman wears heavily padded gloves to cover the forearms and the knees to the shin against the ball being bowled at high speed. All the other players catch the ball bare handed.

2) The bat

The cricket bat is a long flat paddle made of wood with a handle. It is shaped as such in order to hit the ball being bowled towards the wicket. The bat is used to defend the wicket and the ability to hit the ball out of bounds determines the score of the team.

In baseball, the bat is a long, cylindrical in shape, solid wooden tube with a handle. It is shaped as such to hit the ball being thrown by the pitcher at high velocity. The bat is used to hit the ball into play and once hit by the batter he and/or runners are able to advance to the next base until they reach the home plate.

3) The catcher's equipment

In baseball, the catcher is the most protected player on the field. This player dons a face mask and a chest armor that is heavily padded. Also, the glove of the catcher is much more padded than an ordinary baseball glove. With the chest armor, the catcher also wears knee and shin guards to protect the player from errant balls hit or thrown the catcher's way.

On the other hand in cricket, the catcher like any other player on the field does not have much equipment though he is situated behind the bowler.

The difference between the two is the objective of the bowler or the pitcher. In baseball, the pitcher throws the ball to the catcher. On the other hand, the bowler in cricket is not aiming for the batsman but must be able to hit the wickets to make an out. This objective determines the degree of the protection of the catcher.

As you can see, the equipment also differs between the two team sports. The use of the glove, the bat and the catcher's equipment all give ideas as to how the game is played. These differences allow the uniqueness of baseball and cricket to flourish in their own ways.