The Birth of the Louisville Slugger

1884 brought the beginning of the most famous name in baseball bats today - The Louisville Slugger. It all started at a baseball game in Louisville, a 17 year old John Hillerich watched Louisville player Pete Browning become frustrated after breaking his favorite bat. Hillerich, a woodworker with his father, approached Browning after the game and offered to make him a new bat. They went together to the woodworking shop, selected a piece of white ash and Browning supervised as John Hillerich made his new bat. The next day, Browning went three for three with the new bat, word spread about the new bats, and the Hillerich family was in the baseball bat business! Demand quickly grew (although baseball bats weren't the focus of their business yet), and they soon began adding their recognizable Louisville Slugger trademark to each bat.