Protective netting to be extended at Miller Park for 2018

The Milwaukee Brewers have joined the growing number of majorleague clubs announcing plans to extend protective netting for the 2018 season.

The Brewers on Friday announced plans to "significantly" extend the protective netting on the field level at Miller Park, taking it to the outer edge of the dugouts on both sides.

There was an outcry to extend protective netting at all ballparks after a 2-year-old girl was struck in the face by a foul liner at Yankee Stadium in late September while sitting behind the visiting dugout. Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier hit the line drive in a game against Minnesota that struck the girl, who was treated for several minutes while play was halted.

Players on both teams were shaken by the incident and many said afterward it was time to extend netting in every ballpark to protect fans sitting in the lower levels. Several teams since have announced plans to do so.

The Brewers first extended the protective netting at Miller Park after the 2015 season, to the inside edge of each dugout, which met the standards set forth by Major League Baseball in December 2015.

In an incident at Miller Park in July 2015, a Milwaukee woman in the stands was hit by a foul ball that fractured her forehead, left eye and sinus cavity, and severed a main nerve in her face.

The Brewers are working with engineers and vendors on specifics related to extending the protective netting. The project will be completed in time for the 2018 home opener on Monday, April 2.