MLB, Pirates weigh fan safety in wake of foul ball incident in Houston

The Pittsburgh Pirates were among the first MLB teams to expand netting to the far end of each dugout at PNC Park to protect fans.

The Houston Astros did the same at Minute Maid Park, but Wednesday night that turned out to be not far enough.

A 4-year-old girl, seated about 10 feet from the end of the netting, was struck by a foul ball off the bat of the Chicago Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. Statcast reported the ball traveled 160 feet in 1.2 seconds, an indication it was moving more than 90 mph.

The girl is expected to be OK, but the incident left Almora, the father of two, distraught and sobbing into the arms of a security guard.

Almora said the first person he saw after hitting the ball was the little girl. He said when she feels well enough, he wants to reach out to her.

“God willing, I’ll be able to have a relationship with this little girl for the rest of my life,” he said. “But just prayers right now. That’s all I really could control.”

It’s not unusual for several baseballs per game to leave bats at more than 100 mph. In response to that fact and several fans suffering injuries in 2017, all 30 teams expanded their netting to at least the far ends of the dugouts by the start of the 2018 season.

Meanwhile, some people would like to make the safeguards go even further.

Andy Zlotnick, 56, suffered a damaged left eye socket and fractured cheekbone when he was hit by a Hideki Matsui foul ball at Yankee Stadium in 2011.

“It was like a mortar exploded in my face,” Zlotnick told the New York Post.

Confronted with $160,000 in medical bills, he sued the Yankees and MLB and lost, due to the so-called “Baseball Rule” that states fans attend games at their own risk. Zlotnick is among those who want the netting extended from foul pole to foul pole.

Jana Brody’s 79-year-old mother, Linda Goldbloom, was struck by a foul ball last year at Dodger Stadium and died four days later.

Brody told ESPN she considered MLB’s failure to voluntarily increase netting requirements “unconscionable.”

“Fans are still getting hurt by hard-hit foul balls, and MLB has not increased the netting requirements, even after a foul ball caused a brain hemorrhage and my mom’s death,” she said.

In a statement issued Thursday morning, MLB said, “Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years. With (Wednesday) night’s event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue.”

The Pirates on Friday issued the following statement to Trib Total Media.

“We pride ourselves in providing a family friendly, safe environment for all fans at PNC Park,” said Brian Warecki, vice president of communications and broadcasting. “We were among the first clubs to expand the protective netting at PNC Park to the far end of each dugout.

“We are pleased that Major League Baseball will continue to evaluate the issue of protective netting in MLB ballparks, and we will again assess the situation at PNC Park and determine if further expansion is warranted.”

Asked about the incident in Houston, manager Clint Hurdle, the father of three, said he feels for the parents.

“It doesn’t matter how many (are hurt). All you need is one,” he said. “How would you like to be the mother and father of that child? I think you’d have a pretty big vote on what you think should happen.

“We want to live in a perfect world, and we don’t want harm for anybody at any time. The best thing we can do is put our minds together and come up with a solution, rather than pick at it, and figure out what’s best and how we move forward to ensure the safety of anybody who comes to a game.“