San Diego Padres pitcher Alex Torres became the first Major League Baseball player to try out a new cap designed to protect pitchers from line drives to the head.

Looking like an overstuffed baseball cap, the hat was approved by the MLB after Brandon McCarthy suffered life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a baseball while pitching for the Oakland A's.

Torres told MLB.com he had to deal with some playful insults from teammates about the hat's appearance, but that he doesn't care how it looks.

Alex Torres of the San Diego Padres is the first pitcher to wear protective cap in MLB game.

"It could save our lives if someone hits a ball to your head," Torres told MLB.com. "I get it for free, so I'm just gonna use it to see how it feels."

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