Protective netting at Nationals Park will be extended to the foul poles during next month's All-Star breakGETTY IMAGES
The Nationals on Thursday announced they would extend protective netting at Nationals Park to the right and left field foul poles, and P Sean Doolittle said that he would be "in favor" of MLB requiring all teams to extend netting to the foul poles, according to Dougherty & Gutierrez of the WASHINGTON POST. Doolittle said, "It's unrealistic to say, 'Oh, you should just pay attention to the game.' Come on, man. We've created this experience for fans, and I think we have an obligation to make sure that they stay safe." The Nationals will "install the new netting next month during the all-star break." The team Thursday said that the new netting will "offer a 'higher degree of transparency' than their existing setup." The White Sox earlier this week also announced plans to "extend the netting at Guaranteed Rate Field," joining the Tigers, who have "netting that extends well past the dugout that was installed last season" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/21). In DC, Todd Dybas noted the new netting will have "sections which can be raised pregame in order to allow players to interact with fans" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 6/20).
