In what is widely considered long overdue, the Boston Red Sox are going to make some changes to Fenway Park. Specifically, the baseball organization, in order to improve fan safety in 2018, has plans to significantly expand the netting at Fenway Park.
The team announced over the weekend that the park's netting will extend to Section 79 (left field) and Section 9 (right field). For those unaware, both of those are reaching well beyond the ends of each dugout.
Here is a picture tweeted out by Tim McMaster to give you a better idea as to what is happening:
Here’s a diagram of where new netting at Fenway will run #RedSox (sec 9-79) pic.twitter.com/TWxtLwt1qS
— Tim McMaster (@MLB_McMaster) January 20, 2018
This is an important step in adding safety to a Major League Baseball ballpark. We're not too far removed from an incident involving a New York Yankees fan getting struck in the head with a baseball.
Child gets hit by a foul ball at Yankees game. The players' reactions say it all. pic.twitter.com/YIyaBJq7tT
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) September 20, 2017
It is that kind of play the Red Sox are hoping the nets can prevent.
Boston has had its own issues. During a Red Sox game in June, a fan was stretchered out of the stadium after getting hit with a broken bat.
https://vine.co/v/eMvuTTJYnqe/embed/simple
Given how often these things happen, it should be a league mandate that the nets protect fans in a better way than they have over the years. While extending them beyond the dugouts might make fans angry, as it will block their natural vision, it is far better than people going to the hospital.
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