Bullpen cart

A Bullpen cart is a wheeled conveyance used to bring in a relief pitcher from the bullpen. The earliest carts, in the 1950s, were just regular automobiles, sometimes decked out in team colors. However, their weight made them inappropriate for operating on a well-manicured field, and soon teams tried other vehicles, such as scooters, before settling on a modified golf cart.

The vehicles had their heyday in the 1970s, when one manufacturer, Baker Industries, developed a design based on a golf cart, with a cabin shaped like a baseball, topped by a cap in the team's colors. The brim of the cap was held by bat-shaped pillars, and sometimes the look was complemented by a glove-shaped design around the front headlights. All of these decorations were made of fiberglass, making for a light design that could make the trip from the outfield to the pitcher's mound without damaging the grass. They were garish and tacky, like many things 1970s, but popular with fans, before being phased out in the early 1980s.

The bullpen cart made a comeback in 2018, as the Arizona Diamondbacks, who weren't around yet when the contraptions were popular, introduced one based on the old-time design as part of their celebration of their 20th anniversary season. Relievers weren't beating down the door to use it, however, as it took six weeks until Collin McHugh of the visiting Houston Astros decided to take advantage of the available ride in a May 5th appearance. The Detroit Tigers soon followed suit, although their contraption did not look at all like the traditional cart: it was instead akin to a miniature version of a 1950s muscle car, complete with flames painted on the hood, an appropriate tribute to the "Motor City".

The bullpen cart made an appearance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That particular version was longer than the traditional one, probably to provide more social distancing between the driver and the incoming relief pitcher, and his seat was a throne in the shape of a glove.

Related Sites

• Michael Clair: "The life, death and rebirth of the bullpen cart", "Cut4", mlb.com, July 14, 2017. [1]
• Steve Gilbert: "D-backs to bring back bullpen cart", mlb.com, March 6, 2018. [2]