The Chicago White Sox took commendable steps during a recent road trip to expand the netting at Guaranteed Rate Field all the way to the foul poles.
While the main idea behind the net expansion was to keep fans safe from balls and bats entering the stands, it turns out that the nets also provide protection from flying baseball players.
During Thursday’s game between the White Sox and Mets, Eloy Jimenez drove a foul ball down the right-field line. Jeff McNeil made a sprinting read on the ball and leaped into the stands to make the catch. Thankfully, though, there was netting to keep everyone safe.
He made that look so smooth, too.
But really, this catch shows one of the many added benefits of expanded nettings. Players can go all out and dive towards the stands without risk of injury to themselves or the fans. If no netting was there on the play, McNeil could have landed himself on the IL or a spectator could have been hurt.
That didn’t happen because nets work.
Every team across baseball should take notice and follow the White Sox’s lead. It’s the right call.
