Alex Torres will never forget the sound that echoed around Tropicana Field from the pitcher's mound on a Saturday afternoon last June. More than a year after the pitcher's then-Tampa Bay Rays teammate Alex Cobb was struck in the head by a concussing line drive, that sound of ball on skull still resonates. "I came in after Alex Cobb was hit in the head," Torres told CNN on Sunday. "That's really an impression to me, how his head sounded from the bullpen. That was really bad. I was shaking. 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' I'm glad he's alive." Tampa Bay pitcher struck by line drive released from hospital
@highlight
Padres pitcher Alex Torres is the first MLB player to wear a new protective cap in a game
@highlight
MLB approved the new caps, produced by 4Licensing Corporation, in January
@highlight
4Licensing says caps protect against line drives up to 85 mph on the side and 90 mph in front
@highlight
An MLB-commissioned study says average line drive to pitching mound travels 83 mph
Until Saturday, the most notable thing about Torres' brief 74-game Major League Baseball career was that the reliever, traded from @placeholder to the San Diego Padres over the past year, had struck out more than a batter per inning.