How to Break in a Baseball Mitt
Glove at first sight!
Baseball mitts are very special things. Far from being ready to use straight from the store, they demand individual effort to fully realize their enormously wonderful potential. Much more than a summer's worth of dreams are contained within that flexible leather palm. There's magic and loss, and the green fields of our first hopes and friendships. You'll find them in the well-worn soul, a soul that's born in the transition from store-bought item to custom-fitted companion.
It's the nature of leather to adapt to usage, and the only true way to optimize a mitt is by using it to play. But there are steps which can help that process begin, steps that fall under the heading of "breaking in" the glove.
What you want to do is soften the leather in the palm of the glove. At the same time you'll be training the glove to close over a baseball in such a way as to grip it firmly, but provide easy access when the ball needs to be transferred to your other hand.
If you ask five different people how to break in a baseball mitt, you'll probably get five different answers. Two methods are provided here, both of which work very well. Choose the one that appeals to you; if it doesn't produce satisfactory results, try the other.
Method 1: The lumpy bed approach
Drip some oil or spread some petroleum jelly onto a clean cloth, then rub it into the palm of the glove and work it in well using your fingers.
- Rub some more jelly or oil into the crease in the palm that extends to the heel of the glove.
- Put your hand in the glove, and flex it back and forth. Guide it closed with your other hand, so that it folds correctly along the crease.
- Take the baseball, and place it in the webbed "pocket" of the glove.
- Secure the glove around the ball with the rubber bands.
- Put the glove under your mattress and sleep on it. Wrap it in a towel to keep it from staining the mattress.
Go out and use the glove in pickup games and with your buddies.
The more time you can spend oiling and flexing the glove, the better. Sleep on it for several more nights and you'll find the glove opening and closing easily.
Method 2: The big band approach
- Take the baseball and place it in the webbed "pocket" of the glove.
- Secure the glove around the ball with the rubber bands.
- Dampen the wrapped glove by spritzing it with water.
- Set aside and let dry completely (this may take a while).
When the glove is dry, rub some oil or petroleum jelly all over the outside of the glove, as this method tends to dry out the leather.
Go out and use the glove in pickup games and with your buddies.
