NEW YORK -- Big league pitchers might feel safer on the mound this season. Major League Baseball has approved a protective cap for pitchers, hoping to reduce the damage from line drives to head that have brought some terrifying and bloody scenes in the last few years. The heavier and bigger new hat was introduced Tuesday and will be available for testing during spring training on a voluntary basis. Major leaguers and minor leaguers wont be required to wear it -- comfort is likely to be a primary concern. "Obviously, itd be a change," two-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers told the MLB Network. "Im definitely not opposed to it." "I think itd take a lot of getting used to," he said. "You dont look very cool, Ill be honest." The safety plates made by isoBLOX are sewn into the hat and custom fitted. They weigh an extra six to seven ounces -- a baseball weighs about five ounces, by comparison -- and offer protection to the forehead, temples and sides of the head. Theyll make the hats about a half-inch thicker in the front and around an inch wider on the sides. Several pitchers have been hit in the head by line drives in the recent seasons. Brandon McCarthy sustained a brain contusion and skull fracture after being struck in 2012 and Doug Fister was hit during the World Series that October. Torontos J.A. Happ and Tampa Bays Alex Cobb were sidelined after being hit last year. McCarthy tweeted that he had already tried out the fortified cap and that it was "headed in right direction but not game ready." Said Arizona reliever Brad Ziegler: "I think theyre on the right track, but the hat they approved isnt remotely close to comfortable enough to wear in games." In an email to The Associated Press, he said, "If youre not 100 per cent focused on executing your pitches, you have almost no chance of success. And that hat is uncomfortable enough that it would be a big distraction to wear it." "We talked to a lot of guys who had been through this, and they provided a wealth of information to help us," said Bruce Foster, CEO of the 4Licensing Corporation, parent company of isoBLOX. "We went through a myriad of different designs to develop this." Foster said the cap went through extensive testing and provided protection from line drives up to 90 mph in the front of the head and 85 mph on the side. Line drives in the majors have been clocked at even faster rates. While the hat is "slightly bigger" than a regular baseball cap, Foster said: "Its not going to be a Gazoo hat." Several years ago, MLB introduced larger batting helmets that offered increased safety. But big leaguers mostly rejected them, saying they looked funny and made them resemble the Great Gazoo, a character on the "The Flintstones" cartoon series. In recent seasons, pitchers have said they would try padded caps, provided they werent too cumbersome. "You see guys get hit with line drives. I know in the last couple of years there have been several of them. So it happens. You want to be wary of it," All-Star closer Glen Perkins of the Minnesota Twins said. "Player safety is important. I think finding a solution is good." "But by the sounds of what they have, I dont know if thats entirely feasible to go out there with basically a helmet on your head and pitch. Without seeing it or trying it on, I hate to make a blanket judgment. But just thinking out loud, that seems a little bit much. Just the bulkiness," he said. In December 2012, MLB medical director Dr. Gary Green presented ideas on protective headgear to executives, doctors and trainers. The prototypes under study included some made of Kevlar, the high-impact material often worn by military and law enforcement and NFL players. Several companies tried without success to make a product that would be approved by MLB and the players union. While isoBLOX was first to get the OK, other firms still might submit proposals. Foster said the caps design diffuses the impact of being hit, rather than only absorbing the shock. The technology will be available on the retail market for ballplayers of all ages in a form of a skull cap. A memo from MLB will advise teams that the caps are available in spring training, and pitchers who express interest in testing will be fitted. MLB can require minor leaguers to wear it, but has no plans now to do that. "I think it will be one of those things that people will wear them when they have to wear them. Maybe a guy here or a guy there," Perkins said. Star closer Grant Balfour said, "I am always appreciative of anything that will make the game safer. That being said, I may try it. Just not sure yet until I see it. Has to fit with a cap and be comfortable." MLB didnt make the use of helmets or protective cap inserts mandatory for batters until the National League required them for the 1956 season. Helmets werent required until the 1971 season and, even then, they werent mandatory for players already in the big leagues. An earflap on the side of the head facing the pitcher was required for new players starting in 1983. "Its nice to see any sport take precautions to prevent injury," San Francisco reliever Javier Lopez said. "That being said, I look forward to seeing what the finished product looks like. And if it helps just one pitcher, then its worth it. Its always nice to have safety nets." Added Boston reliever Craig Breslow: "Im not certain how many players will be testing the new equipment, but I think all at least appreciate the effort. " Reds Jerseys China .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Reds Jerseys 2019 . James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/. The 49ers announced the deal Thursday. San Francisco selected Kilgore in the fifth round of the 2011 draft out of Appalachian State. He has played in 33 regular-season games, plus all six playoff games the last two seasons. Cincinnati Reds Shirts . So much so that even a simple foul pop up to the first baseman turned into a run. 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"Fortunately, we dont really have any club that wants to move right now and havent for a long time. Its my last year and I cant, in the foreseeable future, see any expansion." Selig didnt rule out the possibility of Montreal landing a franchise again in the future, but added that one of the key steps would be getting a new stadium. "The first thing you need, and this has been true everywhere, even in existing places, is to build a stadium that can produce the kind of revenue you need today to compete," he said. "This is a sport now that is at an all-time high in popularity and revenue and everything else, but teams do generate a lot of revenue to compete and without a new ballpark, its not possible. So the first condition everywhere is to have a new ballpark." Selig also noted that having a local owner is crucial in establishing a franchise in a city. "You really need a group with local roots, who understands their market, but is also committed to keeping it in that market," he added. "Local ownership is vital." Speaking on the Expos and the series of events that led to their relocation in 2004, Selig said that he did not necessarily believe the sale of the franchise in 1991 was the "death knell" for the Expos, but called it "a sad day for baseball and a sad day for Montreal." He added that as the team was failing in the early 2000s, he tried to find another owner in Montreaal to keep the team in the city, but couldnt find support.dddddddddddd "(I) spent quite a bit of time, worked a lot with (team president) Claude Brochu, who was very good," said Selig. "Claude did everything in the world he could, and he was a wonderful citizen when it came to baseball. I know how he felt about Montreal, it just didnt work, but it wasnt for lack of effort. I came up there and we tried and we just didnt get anywhere." The commissioner also disagreed with the sentiment of some fans that Major League Baseball quit on the city of Montreal long before moving the Expos. "Thats regrettable," he said. "I dont believe that, in understanding of the historical facts and what happened, justifies that. I dont think MLB ever quit on Montreal. I think what happened, if you asked before and after Charles Bronfman sold the team, you bet I worked a lot with people to try to get permanent ownership and stable ownership but they obviously had a stadium problem. The Montreal people themselves talked about it a lot. So, I really dont think it was a matter of us quitting on Montreal. Montreal was a great part of baseball for all the years Charles Bronfman owned them, we had no reason to go against that in any way. I think we (MLB), every place we have been, we have made a very sincere attempt to really change the situation, and build stability into it, and weve succeeded everywhere else. And we tried in Montreal." With a decade gone by and the Expos firmly entrenched in Washington, D.C. as the Nationals, Selig added that the sour ending of baseball in Montreal would not keep the city from being awarded a franchise in the future. "The Montreal situation was one that we didnt want to happen, but with no ownership group and the very things that we have discussed here today, we had no choice," he said. "But as far as Im concerned, if and when that time comes, and there is a team, why wouldnt Montreal be considered?" ' ' '