What Is the Origin of Baseball Cleats?

Baseball cleats help players gain traction on natural grass, field turf, infield dirt and pitchers' mounds. Professional players have worn some version of cleats for most of the sport's existence, though some players have worn flat shoes on artificial turf fields.

  1. The First Spikes Appear

    • According to "Dressed to the Nines: A History of the Baseball Uniform," an exhibit of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, top baseball players began wearing removable individual spikes, like those worn by golfers, in the 1860s.

    Introduction of Modern Cleats

    • Metal cleats, similar to those worn today, were introduced in the 1870s, according to "Dressed to the Nines." The new cleats were steel-plated and featured tri-cornered shoe plates beneath the toe and heel.

    Spalding

    • A.G. Spalding Company, a sporting goods business founded by its namesake, who was a star baseball player, was one of the earliest manufacturers of baseball cleats with the tri-cornered plates. The cleats cost 30 cents per pair when first advertised by Spalding, according to "Dressed to the Nines."

    Shoe Color

    • According to the website, "19th Century Baseball," most of the cleats worn by players were on black leather shoes, though some shoes were white or white with tan accents.

    Plastic Cleats

    • According to "Dressed for the Nines," companies began producing shoes with hundreds of small rubber bumps in the 1970s, largely in response to the development of artificial turf, and plastic cleats were widely available by the early 1980s.