MLB Making Cubs, Sox Games Safer for Fans

Chicago Cubs and White Sox fans will see more protective netting at Wrigley and U.S. Cellular fields next year.

Major League Baseball recommended all 30 clubs have protective netting between the dugouts for any field-level seats within 70 feet of home plate.

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

In August, a fan was struck in the head by a line-drive foul ball hit by Kyle Schwarber during a Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves game at Wrigley Field. The game was briefly stopped as the woman was taken away on a stretcher.

Then again in April, another fan was hit by a flying bat while watching a Pittsburgh Pirates game at Wrigley. Addison Russell lost control of his bat on a swing and it flew into the seats between the Cubs’ dugout on the third base side and the netting behind home plate.

Both the Cubs and Sox plan to extend their netting to the near ends of each dugout, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

MLB said it will work with teams and ticket sellers to identify which seats are behind netting. By 2017, the actual tickets are likely to indicate whether fans are behind protection.