HOUSTON — When the Pirates eventually extend protective netting to both foul poles PNC Park, those actually playing the games will be nothing short of thrilled.
They also hope the crusade doesn’t stop there. Many Pirates players want protective netting to be uniform across the league, with Trevor Williams and Steven Brault saying it’s “ridiculous” it hasn’t already happened.
“It’s inexcusable that it hasn’t been done at all 30 stadiums, it really is,” Williams said Thursday morning. “In Japan, every stadium, all the way down to the foul poles … the nets, too, they make them so thin now where it doesn’t do anything. You can see right through. It’s ridiculous that it hasn’t been done yet.”
Pirates president Frank Coonelly issued a statement on Thursday saying the team has “once again engaged our netting experts to reevaluate our protective netting design and to immediately develop a plan to extend the protective netting at PNC Park farther down the baselines.”
The Pirates did extend protective netting at the stadium two years ago, but the issue of safety has been a controversial topic around baseball this season, the result an incident on May 29 in Houston.
That’s when a foul ball off the bat of Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. hit a 2-year-old girl, who suffered a fractured skull, subdural bleeding, brain contusions and a brain edema.
“It is heartbreaking to see a fan injured by an object leaving the field of play at any ballpark,” Coonelly said in the statement.
The Pirates are committed to doing this, but Coonelly also said the timeline for completion is relatively open-ended.
“While we have put these efforts on a very fast track, we are committed to developing the right plan for PNC Park — one that will increase fan safety while also preserving and enhancing the overall game-day experience to the greatest degree possible,” Coonelly said. “We will share more information with our season ticket holders, fans and other partners as our plans are finalized.”
A recent analysis by Bloomberg said about 1,750 fans are hurt by foul balls per year at MLB games, which works out to about two every three games. There’s a reason for that, Brault said.
“Think about it,” he started. “Players are trained professionals, and they’re wearing baseball gloves. Sometimes they’re catching balls moving backward, in a quick movement.
“You’re expecting people with very little experience … the ball’s hit just as hard, and you’re not really paying attention as much as we are … it’s just ridiculous.
“It’s gonna happen,” Brault said about netting going up. “I don’t know why we’re delaying it. I think every stadium should go with it.”
Brault said a situation actually occurred Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park, on a foul ball hit by Kevin Newman. Nobody was injured, but Brault said it got him thinking about why there isn’t more protective netting.
In 2018, MLB announced that all teams would extend protective netting to the far ends of both dugouts, and a few teams have taken that a step further; the White Sox and Nationals have recently announced plans to extend netting.
“I’m all for it,” Newman said. “I hope every club does it.”
The big issue involves fan alertness, Newman and others said.
“People these days spend more time on their phones than actually watching the game,” Felipe Vazquez said. “Yeah, it will be good to extend netting.”
Newman thinks people should be able to do whatever they want at ballparks, and they shouldn’t have to worry about getting pelted with a foul ball while doing it.
“I just think there’s too many little kids, there’s too many people who come to the game, honestly, that don’t pay attention probably as much as they could,” Newman said. “But that’s part of the game. They’re having a good time.
“Whether that’s talking with friends or focusing on the game, balls come off the bat really, really fast. I think it’s a really good idea to extend the netting and protect as many fans as we can.”
A recent study by Hart Research Associates said fans were 78 percent in favor of adding protective netting. Twenty-two percent believe it’s obstructive for paying customers, and people who bought tickets to sit in those seats should pay attention.
When they announced their plans to add protective netting after the All-Star break, the Nationals touted a “knotless” type of material, something that should be easier to see through.
But it’s also somewhat on the parents, Williams said.
“There’s no excuse,” he said. “The parents that are sitting in the front row, right there … look, even if you’re a big leaguer, you can’t react that fast. You can’t. It’s physically impossible, especially with people jumping up in front of you. It breaks my heart seeing parents bring their kids and just set them on their lap and parade them above the railing.”
In discussing the topic, Williams brought up a recent study that showed baseballs are harder than they’ve ever been, which has led — in part, anyway — to the across-the-league spike in home runs.
Then again, if the ball is leaving the bat at 110 mph, there’s only so much anyone can do.
“I think it’s a great idea, extend the nets all the way down,” Williams said.
Brault offered a practical solution. Instead of netting that’s the same height as what’s behind the plate existing all the way around, why not create some sort of slope so it’s a little easier to see in seats that offer a little more reaction time?
“Maybe like a trail going down,” he said.
Regardless of the shape, Brault, Williams and others made no bones about it: Protective netting could go up on Friday at PNC Park, and they’d be thrilled.
“It’s like just, ‘Why are we still dealing with this in 2019?’ ” Brault said. “It’s crazy.”
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Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: June 27, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
