Starting in 2015, the Phillies made strides to expand protective netting at Citizens Bank Park. In August, this past season, Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis lined a foul ball into the stands that struck and injured a young girl. After that game, he pleaded for the Phillies to expand protective netting so that it protects fans behind the dugouts. The next day, another foul ball went into the stands around the same area and struck another fan. Galvis threw his hands up in disgust.
Galvis may now be getting what he’s been asking for. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that the Phillies will be extending protective netting to the far ends of both dugouts. The netting will be eight feet high.
The netting issue has created debate that has even involved the likes of Stephen King, who wrote in the Boston Globe last April why he very much dislikes the netting at Fenway Park. But seeing as it’s become a litigious issue, Major League Baseball and its individual teams seem to be taking the issue more seriously than they did just a couple of years ago, which is good to see. And while some fans don’t like the idea, the players seem to be for it.
