While playing for the Louisville Eclipse in 1884, slumping star Pete Browning broke his bat.
Seventeen-year-old baseball fan John “Bud” Hillerich was in attendance and invited Browning back to his father’s woodworking shop, where they made him a replacement. Browning used that bat the next day to collect three hits.
It would come to be known as the very first Louisville Slugger
Browning, a career .341 hitter, took home his custom bat 132 years ago. You can get yours today.
Louisville Slugger just launched a custom bat creator that’ll let you pick a size, color and logo for your own personal Wonderboy. You can also emboss it with your name, nickname or an inscription of your choosing.
Need some inspiration? Here are 10 quotes involving America’s favorite pastime.
1. “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
–Yogi Berra
2. “A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.”
–Humphrey Bogart
3. “If it wasn’t for baseball, I’d be in the penitentiary or the cemetery.”
–Babe Ruth
4. “Good pitching will always beat good hitting and vice versa.”
–Bob Veal
5. “Baseball is a ballet without music. Drama without words.”
–Ernie Harwell
6. “Playing baseball for a living is like having a license to steal.”
–Pete Rose
7. “There’s one word that describes baseball — ‘You never know.’”
–Joaquin Andujar
8. “If you’re not having fun in baseball, you miss the point of everything.”
–Chris Chambliss
9. “You should enter a ballpark the way you enter a church.”
–Bill Lee
10. “There’s no crying in baseball.”
–Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own
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