Rawlings thumb question for doc glove

[Goldy the Gopher]

I've been lurking on these gloves and finally got around to registering.

I have two Rawlings pro preferreds. One is an old pros11sc the other one is the brand new pros15sp. Both of these gloves have a leather strap near the tip of the thumb. What is the point of this leather strap which is tied like a thumb or pink holder, and why is it only found on specific models

thank you

[docglov]

its a throw back to the old days. It actually is part of the thumb loop, its wraps the pad going up the thumb to help stablize it. It was used before we started useing plastic to brace the thumb. The reason for it in some models is they are old patterns that predated the plastic