It’s been a topic of discussion for years, but a scary incident has brought the debate back to the forefront.
The conversation of netting at baseball stadiums was sparked again after a Todd Frazier line drive hit a young girl at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
Todd Frazier kneels after line drive foul strikes small child. @gehrig38 Let's all pray! pic.twitter.com/jN3TIcDv6c
— Paul Johnson (@Paul_Johnson_AZ) September 20, 2017
As a result, people are calling for the backstop netting to be extended so they cover more distance down the first and third base lines.
Currently, the nets only extend from the inside of one dugout to the inside of the other, leaving most of the crowd susceptible to hard line drives.
That was the case with Frazier’s hard line drive that reached the crowd in a matter of milliseconds.
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
With no time to react, the young girl, believed to be around 5-years-old, was hit by the ball and the entire stadium went silent.
Players on the field from both teams took to a knee and bowed their heads, obviously distraught from the scene that unfolded in front of them.
There hasn’t been much information made available on the girl’s condition, but her grandfather did speak to one media outlet and said it’s too early to tell if the girl would need surgery.
Latest update on the girl's condition, including a comment from her father. pic.twitter.com/PwbruxPd1E
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) September 21, 2017
This isn’t the first time an incident like this has happened in baseball or other professional sports.
In 1970, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Mota struck 14-year-old Alan Fish in the temple with a foul ball.
Fish died of an inoperable head injury four days later.
In 2002, Brittanie Cecil was attending a Columbis Blue Jackets’ hockey game when a puck was deflected into the stands behind the net.
The puck struck and killed Cecil, which led to the NHL implementing mandatory netting behind the goals at both ends of the rink.
Many believe Wednesday’s incident will result in the MLB taking similar action, as players, fans and media are all calling for the change to be made.
