MLB Recommends Netting Between Dugouts to Protect Fans

Major League Baseball has recommended teams have protective netting between the dugouts for any field-level seats within 70 feet of home plate.

The guidelines were issued Wednesday at the winter meetings following a season in which several fans were injured by foul balls, prompting MLB to study fan safety.

Commissioner Rob Manfred says "it is important that fans have the option to sit behind protective netting or in other areas of the ballpark where foul balls and bats are less likely to enter."

"This recommendation," he says, "attempts to balance the need for an adequate number of seating options with our desire to preserve the interactive pre-game and in-game fan experience that often centers around the dugouts, where fans can catch foul balls, see their favorite players up close and, if they are lucky, catch a tossed ball or other souvenir. "

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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