National Post (National Edition)
Nationals extend nets to foul poles, not all fans approve
WHITE SOX DO SAME
WA S H I N G T O N • Dan Wright had two pressing questions for the man from whom he was buying Washington Nationals tickets the other day: “Are you scamming me?” he asked the Craigslist seller. His second question: “Will the seats be protected by netting?”
Wright, the father of a two-year-old, wanted to sit near the playing field at Nationals Park, beside the visitors’ dugout. But he also wanted to ensure that he and his family would be safe.
“With the nets there,” Wright said, “I think it will be more relaxing and enjoyable to watch.”
As players and safety advocates urge Major League Baseball to do more to protect fans from foul balls, the Nationals and Chicago White Sox this week became the first two teams to extend netting all the way down each foul line in their home ballparks. The Nationals installed more than 300 feet of new netting in time for Monday’s scheduled game against the Colorado Rockies, which was postponed because of inclement weather.
A majority of fans surveyed informally at Nationals Park on Monday said they are in favour of extended protective netting, though not all of them are on board. Most fans said they want clubs to prioritize safety in an age when pitchers are throwing harder and batters are hitting balls with higher exit velocities. Some said they refuse to buy tickets if the seats aren’t protected by a net.
Fans who oppose the idea of protective netting beyond the dugouts said they prefer to absorb the risk that a ball may come flying their way. Those fans said they would buy tickets near the field only if the area were open, with no net in the way. Some said they believe the net minimizes their opportunities to mingle with players.
“It definitely provides extra security and peace of mind, though I don’t feel the net needs to be there,” said Jennifer Latham, who came to the ballpark Monday with her six-year-old daughter. “It takes away from the game — the tradition of waiting and watching for balls. It’s one of the few sports where that happens.”
Recent incidents across baseball have sparked increased conversation about protective netting and have spurred some teams to act. Of the 30 MLB teams, the Nationals and White Sox are the first to extend netting all the way to each foul pole, but five more teams have committed to similar precaution. Other clubs have extended netting farther away from home plate in recent years.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has not issued a leaguewide mandate, instead choosing to let individual teams decide whether to extend netting on their own.
Meanwhile, fans at two more major league ballparks reported injuries this past weekend. On Friday night, a fan was injured at a Tampa Bay Rays game after Rays infielder Joey Wendle lined a fastball into the seats down the left field line. The ball deflected off a barrier and struck a woman on the right side of her forehead. At a Cleveland Indians game Sunday, a three-year-old boy was hospitalized after Francisco Lindor hit a line drive into the seats.
At Nationals Park on Monday, Baird McKevin, a father of four, recalled a game at Coors Field in Denver during which he was snapping a family picture. Then a foul ball soared his way, landing a few seats over. On Monday, while holding his threeyear-old son, McKevin said fans should pay attention at all times. As a fan, he said, you’re assuming a risk that the ball may come toward you.
“It’s awful what happens,” he said. “Netting is a good deal. But there’s an inherent risk, and a lot of people are distracted on their phones.”
Chris Carroll, a father of two, said he regretted buying tickets next to the dugout for Monday’s game. He was willing to pay for more expensive tickets so his two sons, ages 10 and 12, could obtain autographs and chat with players.
“The players are the whole reason you come here,” Carroll said. “The nets keep the players from walking up to the kids. It takes away from the game. What’s the point of paying to sit close when they put the net up?”
The Nationals were moved to take action earlier this season after a four-yearold girl was injured severely by a foul ball at a Houston Astros game May 29. Shortly thereafter, Nationals owner Mark Lerner wrote a letter to fans discussing the team’s plans to install the additional netting, saying, “I can’t imagine what her parents must have felt in the moment.”
Houston resident Alexander Elias, who was at Nationals Park on Monday as part of a nationwide ballpark tour with his seven-year-old son, said they attended that Astros game and weren’t far from the incident. When the ball struck the girl, Elias remembered, his heart raced as he wondered whether the child would be OK.
“The rate kids are getting hit — it’s very concerning. It’s terrifying,” Elias said. “Some balls have come close to me. I call myself lucky when they don’t hit us.”
The Washington Post