Ouch.
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That ought to be the only word ringing through anyone’s mind after seeing what unfolded with Ernie Clement. Before long, questions about the importance of protective gear began gaining traction again. But for someone who hasn’t used it regularly since his Little League days, his stance on the matter remains unchanged.
“I always feel like if I miss a ground ball, it’s my fault and I deserve to get hit in the nuts,” the $4.6 million star Ernie Clement said.
It all started with the protective cups that players are encouraged to wear, but clearly Clement didn’t get the memo.
During the eighth inning against Kansas City, Clement fouled Nate Pearson’s 98 mph sinker into his groin. The impact left him down for over a minute as John Schneider rushed to him.
Head trainer Jose Ministral also came out running, while the slugger waited for the pain to pass. Somehow, the second baseman stayed in the game and finished an at-bat nobody would blame him for abandoning. And while the 30-year-old was enveloped in pain, his manager chose to find humor in the whole ordeal.
“Wear a cup tomorrow,” the manager quipped when asked what his conversation with the slugger was like on the field.
Given what he went through, one would think Clement now considers wearing a protective cup a necessity. But, well, that might not be the case…
“I’ve just never worn one, and I’m not gonna change now,” Clement explained.
For him, the reason is simple: cups feel uncomfortable and have never suited him. So, he would rather trust his body and routine than change something that makes him uncomfortable.
His teammate, Myles Straw, also holds the same thought process and says that he would rather be comfortable on the field and trust his baseball experience to do its job.
“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,” Straw says. “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.”
During Straw’s rookie season, he ripped a pitch down the right-field line and raced toward second. But as he slid into the bag, the relay throw ended up beneath him, causing him to land directly on the ball, with no protective cup. Straw recalled struggling to catch his breath for nearly 10 minutes and feeling as though he was about to vomit.
However, what happened to Clement was not an isolated incident. Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. also suffered after fouling a ball directly into his groin. Athletics rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer faced far worse consequences, suffering a ruptured testicle that required emergency surgery.
For now, the debate remains simple: comfort and routine versus protection from baseball’s unpredictable consequences. But not everyone sides with Clement.
Blue Jays manager wants his players to wear the cup
After Ernie Clement’s painful incident, John Schneider made his position on protection clear.
“Balls take weird hops off the bat and off the dirt,” Schneider said. “So, I’m a big believer in a protective cup.”
That view comes from experience, and Schneider knows how quickly one play can change.
As a former catcher, he regularly wore protection and watched baseballs arrive from unpredictable angles. But Schneider is not the only Blue Jays figure who feels strongly.
Rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela also supports wearing one, calling it part of his routine.
“I have to protect the nuggets,” Valenzuela said, adding, “I feel naked without it.”
Still, most of the players appear comfortable making the opposite choice every single game. Schneider estimates fewer than 10% wear cups, leaving many players trusting comfort and reaction. That confidence carries a clear risk whenever foul balls or unexpected hops change direction. And Clement learned that the hard way.