The Philadelphia Phillies plan to take up Major League Baseball on its recommendation to protect more fans from errant bats and balls.
MLB suggests teams have protective netting between the dugouts for any field-level seats within 70 feet of home plate.
"We intend to comply with Major League Baseball’s new recommendations," said Phillies executive vice president and chief operating officer Michael R. Stiles in a news release. "We anticipate that such compliance will require us to expand our protective netting behind home plate about 10 feet in width on both sides, reaching to the near side of each dugout. We also plan to replace all of our existing netting with newer material which is as strong, but thinner and more easily viewed through."
The guidelines were announced Wednesday at the winter meetings following a season in which several fans were injured by foul balls, prompting MLB to study fan safety. Most teams are expected to expand their use of netting.
"It is important that fans have the option to sit behind protective netting or in other areas of the ballpark where foul balls and bats are less likely to enter," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "This recommendation attempts to balance the need for an adequate number of seating options with our desire to preserve the interactive pre-game and in-game fan experience that often centers around the dugouts, where fans can catch foul balls, see their favorite players up close and, if they are lucky, catch a tossed ball or other souvenir. "
The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers joined the Phillies in immediately agreeing to the recommendation.
The Phillies expect not every fan to be happy with the expanded netting.
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“We understand that our fans differ in their opinions about sitting behind protective netting and we will do our best to accommodate those different preferences," said Stiles. "We will take the opportunity in the upcoming season to remind all of our fans about the importance of being alert to the possibility of balls and bats entering the stands throughout the ballpark."
The recommendation also applies to spring training ballparks.
“We also anticipate that a similar modest expansion of protective netting will be installed at Bright House Field, our spring training ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., to conform to the MLB recommendations,” said Stiles.
MLB said it will work with teams and ticket sellers to identify which seats are behind netting.
"We will fight to make these new safety measures more than just recommendations and to make sure the measures are adequate," said Steve Berman, a lawyer for several fans who in July sued MLB in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. "By next season, we don't want any spectators to be under the threat of being harmed by a foul ball or bat injury, period."
