Compared to regular baseball gloves, catcher's mitts look really pregnant. Still, scientists report that the extra padding doesn't protect catchers' hands well enough. Physicians at Wake Forest University report that the trauma caused by catching more than 150 pitches per game at speeds often over 90 miles per hour, season after season, could end a player's career early. They're calling for research into new glove design. From the press release:
The repetitive impact of the ball hitting the gloved hand has been shown to lead to damage to blood vessels. Over time, blood flow can be significantly reduced and nerves may be bruised, causing numbness and tingling, reduced sensitivity to cold and bluish-colored skin…The current design of catcher's mitts ensures that most pitches are caught at the base of the webbing, at the bottom of the index finger, where many vessels and nerves are located. Pitchers and field players tend to catch the ball in the webbing itself, away from the hand.
