August 22, 1940: The 1st Player to Wear a Batting Helmet

August 22, 1940: The Chicago White Sox play the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Jackie Hayes, the 2nd baseman for the White Sox, steps to the plate wearing a batting helmet. He is the 1st player to do so in a major league game.

Sometime after his 1st at-bat with the helmet, the game was called due to rain. It was resumed 2 days later, as part of a doubleheader. Hayes went 1-for-5 with an RBI single, and the South Siders beat the Senators, 6-2. They also won the 2nd game, 2-1.

Hayes, from Clanton, Alabama, debuted with the Senators in 1927, and was traded to the White Sox in 1932. That 1940 season would be his last in the major leagues, because he had begun to lose his sight, due to glaucoma. He had a lifetime batting average of .265, and lived until 1983.

Following several attempts at improving protecting players' heads following the 1920 death of Ray Chapman, the International League mandated helmets in 1939. Ford Frick, President of the National League, showed his League's team owners a helmet he had designed himself, at a meeting prior to the 1940 season. They chose not to adopt it. Nevertheless, the White Sox made helmets available to their players, and Hayes was the 1st to use one.

Knowing this in 1941, the NL adopted the helmet's use for Spring Training -- but not for the regular season. The Brooklyn Dodgers announced they would mandate helmets for their players, which was not surprising, since, the previous year, they had just traded for All-Star slugger Joe Medwick, and he had been beaned in only his 2nd game with them.

Shortly after the Dodgers agreed to use the helmets, the Senators became the 1st American League team to mandate them. They were followed in June by the New York Giants and the Chicago Cubs. After that, the others followed.

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August 22, 1940 was a Thursday. These games were played to a conclusion:

* The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 15-2 at Yankee Stadium. Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey and Tommy Henrich hit home runs.

* The New York Giants split a doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Giants won the opener, 5-4. Mickey Witek singled Mel Ott home with the winning run in the top of the 12th inning. The Bucs won the nightcap, 4-0. Rip Sewell pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Vern Olsen pitched a 2-hit shutout.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-8 at Fenway Park in Boston. Fred Hutchinson, the Tigers' pitcher, singled Dutch Meyer home with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Hank Greenberg went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Jimmie Foxx went 0-for-4 with a walk. Ted Williams went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 8-4 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Bees, 3-2 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. (The Boston team of the NL went back to being the Braves the next season.)

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Mort Cooper pitched a 6-hit shutout.