Safety is net result at last

Most fans approve of Stadium netting

YANKEE fans from Sydney, Australia, Ben and Claire Saw had come a long way to be here for Opening Day, and they were surprised to find themselves protected by extended netting in their seats behind the first-base dugout.

They didn’t know the Yankees had installed the new netting. But they knew why it had been done.

“It’s because of the little girl who got hit by the foul ball, isn’t it?” Claire asked. “That was terrifying.”

Yes, apparently that really was the foul ball heard ‘round the world, the 105-mph line drive off Todd Frazier’s bat last September that struck a 2-year old girl in the head — the one that forced the Yankees to stop making excuses and do the right thing to protect fans from injury. And here was the proof: netting that not only extends to the far ends of each dugout, but well down each foul line offering more protection than many of the other ballparks that had already added more netting.

It is very noticeable, mainly because the netting is attached to posts in front of the seats beyond each dugout to hold it in place. And that drew a few complaints from fans I polled on Tuesday, but most people I spoke to were in favor of the added protection. “Especially having my kids with me — I can relax and enjoy the game now,” said Jeff Webster, a fan from New Jersey. “I’ve got my two boys, they’re 6 and 8, and in the past, if we were sitting close to the field, I always had to make sure I was on top of every pitch.

“I know some people say they don’t want the netting, that it’s only for people who are on their phones and not paying attention. But I’ve seen balls go flying by me that were hit so hard, I’m not sure I could have reacted in time.

“So I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want this. When you sit behind the plate, you don’t even notice the netting is there after awhile.”

Of the fans who weren’t sold on having the new netting, a couple made the point that it would limit interaction with the players, in terms of autographs