Things are getting a bit more close-knit in the baseball equipment world, as the makers of Louisville Slugger bats have sold the business to Wilson Sporting Goods. That means that both Major League Baseball’s official bat as well as its official glove will be made by the same company.
Louisville Slugger’s parent company Hillerich & Bradsby sold the 131-year-old batmakers to Amer Sports, which owns Wilson, reports Bloomberg Business. Wilson makes the MLB’s official glove, while Rawlings is the producer of the league’s baseballs.
Though it’s unknown how much the deal is worth, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that it was likely going to happen for under $100 million.
Hillerich & Bradsby will continue to manufacture the wood bats for Wilson, with an exclusive deal to produce them at its Louisville factory.
“Louisville Slugger will enrich our company significantly, enhance our baseball and softball product offering at all levels of the game, and ensure we are delivering only the best performance products to athletes of every age,” Mike Dowse, president of Wilson, said in a statement.
According to Hillerich & Bradsby, 60% of MLB players use the Louisville Slugger, with more than 100 million bats sold.
In 2009, a Montana jury found that Hillerich & Bradsby should put warning labels on its aluminum bats after an 18-year-old player was killed by a line drive in a 2003 game.
Louisville Slugger Is Sold to Amer Sports Oyj’s Wilson Brand [Bloomberg Business]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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