THIS IS WHAT A GLOVE LOOKS LIKE BEFORE 162 GAMES. The leather is immaculate yet unweathered. The webbing intricate if unproven. The stitching precise but untested. A fresh glove is at once a promise of a new beginning and a reminder that nothing worth celebrating is built overnight. Not Clayton Kershaw’s all-controlling genius (page 36), or Theo Epstein’s latest reclamation project (page 58), or Mike Jirschele’s 37-year journey to the bigs (page 76). As teams chase the ultimate prize, they do so with the knowledge that a lot will change in the seven-month windup to the World Series. Which maybe isn’t such a bad thing. Haven’t you heard how long it takes to break one of these puppies in?
03.31.2014
COUNTING DOWN TO THE FIRST PITCH? WATCH THE BASEBALL TONIGHT/ESPN THE MAGAZINE MLB PREVIEW SHOW ON ESPN ON THURSDAY, MARCH 20, AT 10 P.M. ET.
photograph by CHIP LITHERLAND; logos by JON CONTINO
03/31/2014 ESPN The Magazine
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