On April 11, 1907, At the Polo Grounds, Roger Bresnahan of the New York Giants plays the Opening Day game wearing leg guards usually used in cricket-the first shin guards in major league history. The leg guards come in handy, protecting Bresnahan from a fifth-inning foul tip. Other catchers will follow Bresnahan’s lead and wear similar shin guards.
“Boy, they sure called me lots of names when I tried on those shin guards. They must have been a good idea at that, though, because they tell me catchers still wear them.” – ROGER BRESNAHAN, reflecting on being the first major league catcher to wear shin guards.
The game was also historic, The Giants were forced to forfeit to the Philadelphia Phillies because of fan unruliness thus becoming the first and only forfiet on opening day in MLB History. The game was stopped in the 8th with the Phillies up 3-0, the Giants had only manged 1 hit, and Bresnahan for his part was 0-3 with a walk.
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