The Chicago White Sox are the first MLB club to expand the safety net in front of the stands to the end of the foul line.
The White Sox played their first game on Tuesday after expanding their foul ball safety net at their home stadium in Chicago's Garlanded Rate Field.
After a female fan was hit by a foul ball at his home stadium on April 10, the White Sox club and its owner, the Illinois Sports Facility Management Agency, announced that it would extend the safety net, which had been installed from behind the home plate to the end of the dugout, to the left and right foul poles of the outfield.
They completed the construction of an expanded safety net during the break of the last All-Star game.
White Sox is the first among 30 MLB clubs to install safety nets in front of spectators' stands throughout the first and third bases.
Some fans have expressed support for the foul ball safety net.
"At a low cost, we've got a lot of security," said Jason Sal,a White Sox fan in the southwestern suburb of Chicago. At first, I didn't want to lose the fun of catching foul balls. But it's more important that no tragedy happens to someone than to get a foul ball during the game.
Not everyone welcomed the safety net. Some complained that the safety net will kill fans' experience at the ballpark. Sheldon Williams, who was sitting in the second row of the outfield on the right field with her daughter. said, I know it's for the safety of fans. But I chose this position because I had a chance to catch the foul ball.
Leeds Donnelan, who sat in the outfield seat on the left field with his two children, also complained of invasion over the expansion of the foulball safety net. He said,I know there are people who were seriously hurt by the blow ball.But anything can happen at sports stadiums, and the crowd knows this, the expansion of the safety net up to Paul has taken away the special experience that baseball fans can enjoy.players also have to adapt to the new safety net.
After the end of the dugout, the outfield safety net is considered a wall, according to report White Sox spokesman said. If the ball hits the safety net of the outfield, which is lower than the height of the dugout, an in play situation continues.
The White Sox players showed their support for the safety net. This is because fans are less likely to be hit by their own pitches.
It's for the safety of our fans, said shortstop Tim Anderson, I think it's a good thing to do, he said. But it's hard to sign autographs and there's a gap with fans. I think we'll have to wait and see what direction we're going to go.
The MLB Secretariat had recommended each team to expand their safety net since 2015, but the team was reluctant to accept the proposal, saying it would block the view of spectators and hinder the communication between fans and players.
Then in 2017, the MLB Secretariat changed related regulations, requiring all 30 clubs to install safety nets up to the minimum end of the dugout from last season.
The ideal was at the discretion of each team, but with the recent spate of foul ball accidents, more and more clubs are considering expanding their safety net.
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