The year was 1895.

Jesse Burkett led the National League with 225 hits and a batting average of .405.

He also led the way in his experimentation with a baseball cap that featured a transparent, green-tinted bill that shielded the sun and provided a full range of vision for fly balls. Which Burkett rarely caught.

His bat was hotter than his glove. His temper was even hotter.

Early in the 1897 season, Burkett was hit in the head by a wild pitch and rendered unconscious. He was out for two weeks until he came back and got into a heated argument with umpire Bill Wolf, who ejected him from the game.

Burkett refused to leave.

In the second game of the doubleheader, another “disagreement” with Wolf resulted in a second ejection. Again, Jesse held his ground. With hat in hand.

Eventually, he was dragged off the field by two uniformed policemen.

Today, cooler heads prevail.

Wit & Craft’s Lighting Bolt baseball cap is an homage to Jesse Burkett. Crafted by Yupoong, this handsome and authentic 6-panel stitched cap sports a structured buckram, flat bill, standing crown, and a green undervisor as a tip of the hat to Burkett.  Cool and lightweight wool blend from elastic sweatband to squatchee up top.

If you’re going to grind your hat into the dirt over a bad call, do it with style.