The St. Louis Cardinals are taking action in the wake of the severe injury suffered by veteran catcher Yadier Molina.
The 35-year-old Molina was hurt over the weekend during a game against the Chicago Cubs when he took a 102 mph foul tip right to the groin. Take a look:
Yadier Molina has exited the game. pic.twitter.com/ryrFmDc60p
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) May 5, 2018
This week, Jeremiah Raber, the CEO of a company called Armored Nutshellz that manufactures ballistic cups, revealed that the Cardinals reached out to him following the Molina injury and purchased three sets of his product.
“The players that are having these injuries realize now that they need something a little bit more than the companies that are trying to sell them,” said Raber, according to Erika Tallan of FOX2Now in St. Louis.
Tallan adds that the Cardinals heard about Nutshellz through the Baltimore Orioles, who have supplied them to all their catchers in both the major and minor leagues. Cleveland Indians catchers are also said to use them as well.
The description of the product on the Nutshellz website reads that the cups are designed for “law enforcement and military professionals.” It also claims that they are “not only lab tested and proven to stop a bullet but also field tested for ultimate comfort and mobility.”
That … sounds like pretty heavy-duty stuff. But it should be worth it for the Cardinals, especially given how long Molina will be sidelined with the injury.
