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Timeline: The baseball helmet's history

By Carroll Rogers Walton
Oct 5, 2009

• Aug. 17, 1920: Indians shortstop Ray Chapman dies after being hit in the head by a pitch from Yankee Carl Mays, prompting Major League Baseball to ban the spitball, require umpires to replace dirty balls.

• 1950s/60s: Players use plastic inserts for protection.

• 1971: MLB makes batting helmets mandatory.

• 1983: MLB makes helmets with at least one earflap mandatory

• July 11, 2006: Rawlings introduces the CoolFlo helmet with vents

• July 22, 2007: Rockies minor league first base coach Mike Coolbaugh is killed by a batted ball to the head

• Nov. 8, 2007: MLB mandates all base coaches wear batting helmets

• August, 2009: Rawlings introduces the S100 helmet, built to withstand pitches of up to 100 mph

• Aug. 31, 2009: MLB announces that it will mandate minor league players wear the S100 in 2010.

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Carroll Rogers Walton
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