Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Aug 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) falls over after fouling a pitch off his knee against the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre.
Ask any adult male, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: there are few, if any, worse feelings than taking a shot below the belt. That is exactly why, for years on end, male athletes in a majority of sports have worn a protective cup while playing their sport.
Baseball is no exception. Because there’s absolutely no worse feeling than taking a foul tip or a grounder that takes a weird hop right into the wrong area.
At least, that used to be the case. These days, outside of pitchers and catchers, a significant number of players are going away from wearing a cup for ridiculous reasons.
Toronto Blue Jays utility player Ernie Clement recently learned the hard way why protective cups are an important piece of equipment.
40,000 people cheering you on after this unfortunate hit. 😬
No doubt that Toronto absolutely loves Ernie Clement. pic.twitter.com/vSmKK5F0BN
— Hard Rock Bet Canada (@hardrockbetca) August 26, 2026
But even after the incident, Clement and many of his teammates say they won’t change their stance.
MLB Players Refuse To Wear A Cup Despite Obvious Dangers
“I’ve just never worn one,” Clement told David Singh of Sportsnet. “I’m not gonna change now.”
But why? Wouldn’t it be extremely logical to wear a cup and avoid the excruciating pain you just went through?
“I always feel like if I miss a ground ball, it’s my fault and I deserve to get hit in the nuts,” Clement explained.
And his teammates agree with him! They even have ridiculous justifications for why not wearing one makes plenty of sense (hint: it doesn’t).
“As a kid you were told to wear it, and I guess you listened to your mom, dad, or coach at that point, but once you start to become a little bit more of a developed player, you trust your hands, your instincts,” center fielder Myles Straw said. “And now, especially on a major-league field, you don’t see really bad hops. That’s kind of where it gets scary — like, you can get a bad hop on a high-school field, but (here, they rake) the field every three innings.”
Jays manager John Scheider, a former professional catcher, doesn’t get it.
“Guys now are more comfortable not wearing it and they say they trust their hands,” Schneider said, before explaining that he forces his two sons to wear cups in their youth games. “Balls take weird hops off the bat and off the dirt. So, I’m a big believer in a protective cup, and fortunately I had to wear one in my position. But it’s kind of weird how guys don’t.”
It is kind of weird, John! So next time you see a Major Leaguer get hit below the belt in collapse in agony, know that they’re likely at least somewhat to blame for their own downfall.