On January 25th the Baltimore Orioles, a major league baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, announced the extension of the safety nets surrounding the batter’s box. In a release sent out via social media the Baltimore Orioles said”
“The Orioles informed Major League Baseball in the fall of last year that consistent with the club’s emphasis on the safety and security of fans, the existing netting at Oriole Park at Camden Yards would be extended to cover an increased area prior to the 2018 season. While we are still working with our design and engineering team on the specific dimensions of the new system, the additional netting coverage is expected to extend from Section 16 through Section 58 at Oriole park. The existing netting at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota Fl will also be extended beyond the dugouts prior to the 2018 Spring Training Season, with more specific details to be announced soon.”
The extension of the safety netting around ballparks in the MLB has been going on for awhile now. After numerous occasions where fans were hurt due to a baseball four teams announced additional safety precautions, they are:
- Cincinnati Reds
- San Diego Padres
- Seattle Mariners
- New York Mets
Other major league baseball teams to have mentioned they are exploring the idea are the White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers. What is interesting to note though is that all the teams within the MLB are currently in compliance with the MLB Guidelines regarding fan safety. There are no immediate plans to enforce stricter rules regarding safety nettings. In the Japanese baseball league the netting commonly extends to the foul pouls. It will be interesting to see if the MLB adopts a similar approach.