Three weeks after a broken bat entered the first rows of Boston's Fenway Park and seriously injured a fan, a similar incident occurred at New York's Citi Field.
In July , a Philadelphia fan who was watching the foul ball and not the bat, was truck in the chest by the broken bat. But the fan was struck by the long part of the bat and avoided injury.
Major League Baseball now recommends extending the netting from dugout to dugout in all of its 30 parks. The decision additionally followed a long study of foul-ball scatter charts. Also considered was the increasing number of pitchers who throw in the mid to upper 90s, which increases batted ball speed.
"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," said Commissioner Rob Manfred. "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."
He says the fan experience often centers on the dugouts, where a fan can catch foul balls and see their favorite players close up.
Several clubs say their stadiums are already in compliance with the new recommendation, including the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros.
