MLB Teams Add Netting after Fan Injury Involving Chicago Cubs Player

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As the owner and president of Cars #1, Inc., in Highland, Indiana, Jerry Rosenstein leads his Greater Chicago business in buying and selling pre-owned vehicles as well as providing advisory consulting to other pre-owned auto dealerships. In his free time, Jerry Rosenstein enjoys following professional baseball and counts himself a fan of the Chicago Cubs.

The baseball world has been engaged in an ongoing debate in recent months over the possible extension of protective netting at Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums. Sparking the debate was an incident in May at Houston’s Minute Maid Park where a foul ball hit by Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. fractured the skull of a 2-year-old girl. The incident follows a rash of fan injuries from foul balls, including the death of a 79-year-old woman at Dodgers Stadium in 2018.

In June, the Chicago White Sox became the first MLB team to take steps to protect its fans better when it announced that it would install foul-pole-to-foul-pole netting at Guaranteed Rate Field. Since adding the netting in July, the White Sox have been joined by other MLB teams, including the Washington Nationals, in installing extended netting at their home parks.

When asked, Cubs players responded favorably to the White Sox announcement, expressing their support for the move. For his part, Almora acknowledged his incident had brought attention to the issue and said that he was happy the White Sox had taken action.