Phillies to add more protective netting for 2017 season

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The Phillies will add more netting to protect fans from foul balls at Citizens Bank Park in 2017.

The club on Friday informed season ticket holders that it would add netting above both dugouts. The netting will be eight feet high and extend to the far end of each dugout.

“We think this is a reasonable step which will provide additional protection for fans,” said Mike Stiles, the club’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We believe we can do this without obstructing the views of any of our fans.”

This is the second straight year that the Phillies have added protective netting. Last year, the club extended the backstop netting, bringing it closer to the dugouts.

A number of fans throughout baseball have been injured by flying bats and balls in recent seasons and many clubs have extended backstops and added netting around the dugouts. The additional safety measures have been supported by the players.

The Phillies’ decision to add more netting at Citizens Bank Park comes after a young girl was struck by a foul ball off the bat of Freddy Galvis at a game in August. Galvis was shaken by the incident and lobbied for more netting to be added.

According to the Phillies, the additional netting will be put in place later this month. The team has invited fans who hold season tickets near the dugouts to visit the ballpark and view the changes once the project is complete.

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