Toronto Blue Jays extending protective netting at home stadiums

By: The Associated Press Posted: 9:20 AM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019 Last Modified: 1:56 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays will extend protective netting at Rogers Centre next season, joining other teams that have taken measures after foul balls injured fans.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays will extend protective netting at Rogers Centre next season, joining other teams that have taken measures after foul balls injured fans.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/08/2019 (2276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays will extend protective netting at Rogers Centre next season, joining other teams that have taken measures after foul balls injured fans.

The team also announced Tuesday they’ll extend the nets next season at their spring training home in Dunedin, Florida.

The length and height of the new netting hasn’t been determined, the team said.

In this May 14, 2017, file photo, a police officer tries to catch a foul ball during seventh inning of a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in Toronto. The Toronto Blue Jays say they will extend the protective netting at the Rogers Centre and Dunedin Stadium ??? their home for spring training in Florida ??? next season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Last month, the Chicago White Sox became the first team in the major leagues to extend protective netting from foul pole to foul pole. The White Sox announced the safety measure in June, a week after a foul ball at their home park sent a woman hit in the head to the hospital.

The Washington Nationals also extended their netting to each foul pole in the middle of this season. Other teams have announced plans for future extensions.

Several fans, including a 2-year-old girl in Houston and a 3-year-old boy in Cleveland, have been injured by hard-hit fouls this season. Many players and fans have implored Major League Baseball to require pole-to-pole netting covering foul territory at every ballpark.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has said extending protective netting down foul lines is a team decision. Before the 2018 season, MLB mandated netting extend to the far end of each dugout. That’s when the Blue Jays also added 10 feet to the protective screen behind home plate, raising it to 28 feet.