Throat guard

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]

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

^ 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.

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[sabr-1] 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-2] Dickson, Paul (13 June 2011). The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third ed.). W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393073492. Retrieved 16 February 2023.

[foundations-3] Anderson, Marcia; Barnum, Mary (17 May 2021). Foundations of Athletic Training: Prevention, Assessment, and Management. Wolters Kluwer Health. ISBN 9781975161392. Retrieved 16 February 2023.

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