The White Sox and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority are planning to extend the protective netting at Guaranteed Rate Field down the lines to the foul poles, according to a source.
Exact details will be announced later, but the changes will be made as soon as possible this season.
All 30 major-league teams extended netting to the ends of their dugouts before the 2018 season, but going beyond was left up to each individual team. No ballpark currently extends the netting all the way to the foul poles in the outfield corners.
Calls for more netting increased after a 4-year-old girl was struck by a foul ball off the bat of Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. at Minute Maid Park in Houston on May 29. A woman was bloodied and taken to a hospital after being hit by a foul ball off the bat of Eloy Jimenez at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 10. At both parks, netting extends to the ends of the dugouts. In both cases, extended netting would have protected those particular fans.
‘‘MLB has taken a few steps in the right direction extending the netting, but, honestly, it can go all the way down to the pole and it wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all,’’ Sox pitcher Evan Marshall said at the time. ‘‘There’s not a player in here that wouldn’t be in favor of that.’’
Players have called for more netting for years.
‘‘I’m a big believer in nets all around,’’ Sox first baseman Yonder Alonso said. ‘‘No. 1 is the safety of not only the players but of the fans and everybody in the baseball stadium. That’s the reason why we have nets [behind] the dugout. Two feet behind us are the fans, and they don’t have a net. That two feet is nothing when a ball is coming 110 miles per hour.’’
