ARLINGTON, Texas _ Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward thinks it's time for MLB stadiums to have expanded protective netting down the foul lines.
So do Rangers players.
All are in agreement with the topic returning to the forefront of baseball following Wednesday night's Cubs-Astros game in Houston when a young girl was struck by a foul ball.
"Somebody is going to get killed, honestly, the way balls are going into the stands; it is scary," Woodward said. "I wouldn't be opposed to nets all the way down. I don't know if fans would be.
"But if they saw what we saw on a daily basis ... they remembered little girls' faces being blown up and kids getting hit in the chest and not breathing, I think they would be OK with it."
MLB expanded protective netting to the far end of dugouts two years ago after a similar incident happened at Yankee Stadium.
Now, on the heels of Wednesday's incident, it's a question of whether it's time to be even more proactive.
Rangers utility infielder Logan Forsythe has been in the big leagues since 2011 and is all for it. He recalled an incident in a recent game when he fouled off a backup slider and a kid tried to catch the ball.
"A kid tried to catch it with his glove, and it whizzed right past his head," Forsythe said. "I'm just like, 'Kid, it's coming fast.'
"It's really, really scary anytime a ball goes into the stands. I feel balls are hit even harder nowadays with velocity and how the game has changed. I don't notice the nets. I don't think the fans would notice them. I don't see why it would be such a hard thing to just take them all the way down the foul lines."
Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. was the batter who sent the ball whistling into the stands Wednesday. He was visibly shaken when he saw the young girl being carried out. It's a scene every ballplayer seems to have pictured whenever a hard foul ball leaves their bat.
"As soon as I hit it, the first person I locked eyes on was her," Almora told reporters after the game. "Right now, I'm just praying, and I'm speechless. I'm at a loss for words."
Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo is known for his monstrous home runs and power. He understands part of the fan experience is having balls come into the stands, but he's well aware of balls going into the stands at high speeds.
"I feel like every other day I'm going, 'Please, I hope that didn't hit anybody,' " Gallo said. "So many balls are coming in the stands quick. I don't know (if nets should be expanded), it's up to them, but you just have to pay attention."
Most fans, though, are paying attention to their phones more than the game these days. That's why it seems like a no-brainer to go with expanded nets.
Several ballparks in Japan have protective netting from foul pole to foul pole.
Rangers reliever Chris Martin played in Japan and even recalled that fans sitting down the lines, where there wasn't protective netting, were given helmets and gloves.
It seems like MLB should follow suit.
"I don't know why they don't," Martin said. "I was reading some of the comments today, and they're worried about fans looking through a net. I don't think that should be an issue. The other day, we had a guy break his bat, and a net stopped it from going into the stands. That's a good thing. A flying bat with a lot of sharp edges could hurt someone bad.
"It's just unfortunate. I think they can do more."
