SAN DIEGO — When the bullpen gates open and San Diego Padres reliever Alex Torres is summoned, he takes off in an all-out sprint until he reaches the lip of the infield. Then he abruptly stops and takes a slow, purposeful walk to the mound.

It is an unusual entrance, but it is not the most distinctive element of his arrival.

That rests upon his head, or, more accurately, around it. Torres wears a baseball cap, size 7 1/8, that is unlike any in the major leagues. His is lined with a seven-ounce protective band, wrapping from ear to ear, that shields the most vulnerable part of his skull in the event he is struck by a line drive. It also stretches the lightweight fabric so that it appears as if there is a salad bowl beneath his cap.

The sides cantilever over his ears by an additional inch, and the brim extends like a platypus’s bill, so that when Torres, already diminutive at 5 feet 10 inches, stares in for the catcher’s sign, he looks like a child who has borrowed his father’s cap.

Since Torres began wearing the cap in a June 21 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he has been laughed at by opponents, razzed by teammates and mocked by fans. But he is resolute about wearing it.