Phillies Reportedly to Install Additional Protective Netting Behind Home Plate

There have been multiple scary incidents around Major League Baseball this season involving bats and balls going into the crowds, and the Philadelphia Phillies reportedly want to make the in-game experience safer for fans as a result.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted the Phillies intend to install extended netting at Citizens Bank Park, “but are waiting on baseball before proceeding with final plans…The Phillies do not want to proceed and then be forced to adjust if baseball establishes different regulations, sources say.”

Rosenthal also pointed out that baseball is working on solutions for fan-safety issues but doesn’t expect any resolutions until after the 2015 season because it must first fully examine laws and codes in different cities.

Concerns regarding fan safety have come to the forefront this season, largely because of a handful of incidents. A fan was struck in the face by a shattered bat in Fenway Park in June and suffered life-threatening injuries. Another fan was hit in the head by a foul ball in Detroit’s Comerica Park in August. 

What’s more, a Chicago Cubs fan was recently carried out of Wrigley Field on a stretcher after she was hit by a foul ball. Kyle Schwarber hit that foul ball and offered his support in the aftermath:

Rosenthal noted “major-league owners, in each of the last two labor negotiations, rejected proposals by the players to extend the netting, citing concerns that additional screens would detract from the experience of ticket buyers in certain premium seats, sources said.”

Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos seemed concerned with the direction of those fan-safety discussions in his comments after the fan was hit in Comerica Park, per Rosenthal: “If today doesn’t get nets up, what else is it going to take? I mean, look what happened in Boston to the lady that got hit with, I think, (Brett) Lawrie’s broken bat. What else has to happen for nets to go up?”

We may no longer need to ask these questions if the Phillies’ intention becomes commonplace around Major League Baseball.