Blisters

[whippoorwill]

I was out gardening today and I started to get a blister and thought I should go in and get a bandaid...



Then I thought...what if pitchers would just wear a bandaid instead of taking two weeks off.



What would Tom Seaver (who got plenty of blisters) do?



I'm sick of these wussies.



My dad must be rolling over in his grave.

[kcmets]

Pickle brine

[Frayed Knot]

There are restrictions as to what pitchers are permitted to wear on their pitching hands/fingers.

Nolan Ryan, who of course played at the same time as Seaver, used to often miss time with blisters so this "wuss" excuse is not something unique to this current generation of hurlers.



And, yeah, pickle brine was a frequent treatment to 'toughen up' the skin. Crazy Glue is used sometimes as well.

[Edgy MD]

Ryan had frequent blisters early in his career, but used the pickle brine proactively and swore that it cured his problem. A lot of folks had their doubts, and clearly, if it worked, it didn't work for everybody. But if Ryan's career is a singular case, it's about as compelling as a singular case can be.



Electric bassists, particularly of the funky variety, have been known to use airplane glue to harden the tender skin around burst blisters, but obviously pitchers have a limit on the substances they can use.

[Fman99]

I apply crazy glue to my own fingertips before each gig. It does help to keep my digits from getting too raw.

[nymr83]

Of course when you miss a guitar string because of your blister... nothing happens. When you try to throw 95 MPH inside with a blister and you miss a little... benches clear.