Young Fan’s Injury From Foul Ball Prompts MLB Parks to Extend Safety Netting
Last month a foul ball during a Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros game in Houston struck a 2-year-old girl in the head. The family’s attorney is claiming that the girl sustained a fractured skull, subdural bleeding, brain contusions and brain edema.
It seems as of late that there has been plenty of stories of fans being struck by fouls balls at baseball games. This latest story has prompted some MLB teams to reconsider how far protective netting should extend to keep fans safe.
A collective gasp was let out by the crowd attending the game when the line drive from Cubs outfielder Albert Almora hit the young girl. Almora was visibly distraught and and was comforted by his teammates.
The girl is still recovering at home, but will be reassessed this month.
Last year, the MLB announced that all 30 of its teams would be extending the protective netting as far as both dugouts reached. Franchises like the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers said that their ballparks would add even more netting to protect their fans.
It comes as no surprise from the Dodgers organization, who experienced a similar horror this year.
A fan at Dodger Stadium was also struck in the head by a foul ball off the bat of Dodgers star Cody Bellinger.
“I saw it literally hit her in the face. It was tough,” Bellinger told the LA Times. “I went over the next half-inning just to make sure. She was alright and gave me a thumbs-up. Obviously, it was a scary situation.”
Shortly after that incident, the Dodgers announced plans to extend the netting after they completed a study to find what distance might be the safest. Similarly, the Chicago White Sox announced that they will be extending their netting all the way to the foul poles after a woman was struck by a foul ball in early June.
Photo Credit: Juan DeLeon/iStock
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Young Fan’s Injury From Foul Ball Prompts MLB Parks to Extend Safety Netting
Last month a foul ball during a Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros game in Houston struck a 2-year-old girl in the head. The family’s attorney is claiming that the girl sustained a fractured skull, subdural bleeding, brain contusions and brain edema.
It seems as of late that there has been plenty of stories of fans being struck by fouls balls at baseball games. This latest story has prompted some MLB teams to reconsider how far protective netting should extend to keep fans safe.
A collective gasp was let out by the crowd attending the game when the line drive from Cubs outfielder Albert Almora hit the young girl. Almora was visibly distraught and and was comforted by his teammates.
The girl is still recovering at home, but will be reassessed this month.
Last year, the MLB announced that all 30 of its teams would be extending the protective netting as far as both dugouts reached. Franchises like the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers said that their ballparks would add even more netting to protect their fans.
It comes as no surprise from the Dodgers organization, who experienced a similar horror this year.
A fan at Dodger Stadium was also struck in the head by a foul ball off the bat of Dodgers star Cody Bellinger.
“I saw it literally hit her in the face. It was tough,” Bellinger told the LA Times. “I went over the next half-inning just to make sure. She was alright and gave me a thumbs-up. Obviously, it was a scary situation.”
Shortly after that incident, the Dodgers announced plans to extend the netting after they completed a study to find what distance might be the safest. Similarly, the Chicago White Sox announced that they will be extending their netting all the way to the foul poles after a woman was struck by a foul ball in early June.
Photo Credit: Juan DeLeon/iStock