HOUSTON — So, what exactly is it going to take to get Major League Baseball to extend the nets that protect fans in the stands further down the foul lines? A major injury? A coma? A death?
Earlier tonight at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Albert Almora Jr. of the Chicago Cubs ripped a line drive foul down the left field line that struck a young girl. There was no netting to protect her, as is the norm across baseball parks around the league, and the girl was immediately rushed upstairs to receive medical attention.
What was Almora Jr.’s reaction to the horror?
Almora Jr. finished the at-bat after a lengthy delay and took the field in the bottom half of the inning. After Kyle Hendricks set the Astros down, Almora went to the area in the stands where the young girl was to get an update. After he heard unofficial news that the she might be okay, this happened:
While early indications through unofficial reports about the girl’s status are positive, this kind of awful situation is completely avoidable going forward.
How? By extending the damn nets.
The tradition of not protecting the foul lines with netting is as stupid as it is archaic. Those that say that people sitting in dangerous spots should ‘pay attention to the game’ are ignoring the fact that the ball is coming at them at 100+ mph and it is virtually impossible for a non-athlete that is sitting down to react with the requisite reflexes to avoid a screaming baseball.
And seriously, what are the arguments against netting? View obstruction? That’s bullshit. Cost? That’s also bullshit. Other bullshit reasons? Yeah, inherently bullshit.
You know what isn’t bullshit but is absolutely necessary and overdue?
Extending the damn nets. Let’s get on it, MLB. Now.
It was terrible to watch live and it was terrible to read about on Twitter. Best wishes to the young girl, her family, Almora Jr., and everyone at Minute Maid Park that witnessed the horror for a speedy recovery from this traumatic experience.
