Stan Kasten Says Netting at Dodger Stadium Will Be Extended to Protect Fans
June 24, 2019
The Los Angeles Dodgers will extend the protective netting at Dodger Stadium, team president Stan Kasten said Monday.
"We have been talking for some time with different providers and looking at different options," Kasten said, per the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. "Surely we will be expanding netting. I don't know yet the final configuration. Obviously, there are some different choices to be made and different products which each come with their own set of challenges."
A fan was hospitalized for precautionary reasons Sunday after being struck in the head by a foul ball in the Dodgers' 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies.
MLB mandated in February 2018 that all 30 teams extend netting behind home plate to the far end of the home and away dugouts. Calls to widen the protective nets grew louder when a foul ball hit a young girl during a game between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros in late May.
In early June, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters the league was unlikely to craft new rules regarding netting in the middle of this season and would address the topic when the year ended.
However, teams have taken proactive steps.
The Athletic's Levi Weaver noted the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, which will open in March 2020, will have netting that goes farther down the foul line:
The Chicago White Sox will have netting that extends to each foul pole at Guaranteed Rate Field, while the Washington Nationals will install more netting at Nationals Park during the All-Star break in July.
Kasten told reporters the Dodgers have yet to finalize when work will commence on the netting in Dodger Stadium.