Glove love: D-backs recall first gloves — and more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Baseball players develop a close connection with their mitts — so close that Tyler Clippard has a difficult time parting with his.

“It’s funny, I’ve only used three gloves in my seven years in the big leagues,” the D-backs reliever said. “It takes a lot for me to get a glove, break it in like I want and how I like, and transition that glove into being a game-used glove.”

Building rapport is essential to any relationship, but the player-glove connection is special. It’s the tool of their trade. That’s why Clippard sticks with his go-to glove.

“The glove I’m using now is getting ready to go into its fourth season. I really like that one. If another one comes along that I like more then I might have to turn the page on it, but it hasn’t happened yet,” Clippard said.

Like Clippard, D-backs outfielder David Peralta said he likes to stick to the same glove, one that he’s used for years and feels “comfortable” with.

“I’m a superstitious guy. If I am doing well with something, like wearing this t-shirt every day, I’m going to keep doing it,” Peralta said.

The relationship some players have with their gloves dates back to their youth and their first glove. Peralta got his first glove from his father around age six in Venezuela.

“My dad told me how to break it (in). I just put a ball inside, taped it up and put it under my bed for a couple days so it would loosen up,” Peralta said. “I was very excited about my first glove.”

Although Peralta’s first glove is now worn and tattered and doesn’t fit his hand anymore, he said he still has it at home in Venezuela.

Clippard vaguely remembers his first T-ball glove but recalls how much he liked his Little League glove at age 10.

“It was a hand-me-down from my older brother and he broke it in and then I used it. So when I got it, it was already ready to go,” Clippard said, “When you’re that young, breaking in a glove is pretty tough. Kids aren’t throwing real hard, your hands aren’t strong and it takes a lot to break in that leather. I think that’s why I liked it so much because it was already broken in.”

Infielder Jake Lamb said he received his first glove when he was four and broke it in himself.

“I didn’t do anything special. I didn’t know any better so I just started playing catch with it.”

Today, when Lamb gets a new glove, he unties the strings to loosen it up.

Both Clippard and Peralta have their names engraved in their big league gloves. For Lamb, the “JD 2” etched in all of his gloves holds a deeper meaning to him than just a name.

“JD stands for Josh Dickerson. He’s a friend of mine that passed away from cancer,” he said. “It’s a reminder that this is just baseball and there are more important things out there.”