The Texas Rangers announced during a press conference Thursday that the protective netting around the teams new Globe Life Field will extend out past the dugout.
"At Globe Life Field is to extend the netting to basically, if you will, what we call the crank, where the bowl geometry turns and sort of parallels. So it will go further, it will go beyond the dugouts at Globe Life Field," said Rob Matwick/Rangers Executive Vice President of Business Operations.
The comments come one day after a foul ball off the bat of Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. struck a young fan at a game against the Houston Astros. Immediately after the incident players and executives started calling on Major League Baseball to add more protective netting around big league fields.
According to a statement issued by the Astros, the young fan was taken to a local hospital for treatment after the incident, which stopped the game for several minutes and saw teammates and opponents console Almora.
The league mandated extended netting during the 2017 season after a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees infielder Todd Frazier struck a young fan at Yankee Stadium. At all 30 stadiums, netting now extends to the end of both dugouts, but the league says that it is at least considering other options moving forward after Wednesday’s incident.
"The events at last night's game were extremely upsetting," the league said. "We send our best wishes to the child and family involved. Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years. With last night’s event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue."
