Diamondbacks to extend netting at Chase Field to end of dugouts
Jan 31, 2018, 11:56 AM
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced Wednesday they will further extend the safety netting already in place that protects fans from baseballs and equipment hurled towards the seats.
The nets will now extend to the far end of each dugout for the 2018 season.
“We have long prided ourselves on providing the most fan-friendly environment in all of sports and at the top of those priorities is safety,” D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement. “Thousands of the best seats in the ballpark behind home plate have always been behind a protective net with no impact to the fan experience and we expect that those who will now have a similar view will find that the same holds true for them.”
The D-backs were reportedly one of only a few remaining teams in the league that had not extended the protective netting down their foul lines since 2015. Other teams like the Yankees, A’s and White Sox announced similar plans for their ballparks this month.
According to the team, the D-backs were the first to extend their netting to the near end of the dugouts.
“The team has worked diligently during the offseason to ensure that the extensions, which have become commonplace throughout Major League Baseball, will have limited effect on the fan experience while maximizing safety,” a statement from the D-backs via Twitter said.
In the 2015-16 offseason, MLB issued a recommendation that teams should extend the netting to enhance fan safety.
“Major League Baseball prides itself on providing fans in our ballparks with unparalleled proximity and access to our players and the game taking place on the field,” commissioner Rob Manfred said at the time. “At the same time, 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.”
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