Dodgers to extend protective netting at stadium

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Friday that they will extend the protective netting at their stadium ahead of the team's return home on Sept. 2. The club already replaced the nets behind home plate and above each dugout with a 33-foot net, and this week, those nets will be extended by an additional 124 feet, stretching from both dugouts to the bend in front of the baseline seating.

Dodgers president Stan Kasten said in a statement that the new extension is part of an effort to keep fans safe. "The decisions to both raise and extend the nets at Dodger Stadium were made after extensive data analysis and consultation with both players and fans," Kasten said. "We think these extensions to the netting greatly enhance fan safety while also keeping Dodger Stadium the welcoming and comfortable place it has always been."

The Dodgers are the latest Major League Baseball club to extend the netting at their park. The Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals have increased their netting near the foul poles, and the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Pittsburgh Pirates have also stated plans to increase their protective netting. Dodgers first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger has voiced his support for extending netting at parks. In June, a fan was taken to the hospital after being hit in the head by a line drive hit by Bellinger at Dodger Stadium.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)