The MLB Will Prove to Be Cowards if Francisco Lindor's Netting Plea Doesn't Get Immediate Response
By Scott Rogust
On May 30 of this year, Albert Almora Jr. and Kris Bryant pleaded with Major League Baseball to extend netting after a toddler was struck by a foul ball at Minute Maid Park. With select ballparks taking charge, commissioner Rob Manfred failed to take a stand, opting to keep things the way they are upon further discussion.
On Sunday, a three-year-old boy was struck by a Francisco Lindor foul ball at Progressive Field. The Cleveland Indians shortstop, obviously worried about the well-being of the boy, found out he was "OK" and recovering at a local hospital.
After providing the update, Lindor urged the MLB to extend the netting in order to ensure the well-being of every fan that sits field-level.
We are keeping the young boy in our thoughts ??
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) July 21, 2019
Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor called for MLB teams to extend their safety netting after he hit a young boy with a foul ball Sunday in a game against the Royals at Progressive Field. https://t.co/b480KAnAoB
Manfred and Major League Baseball have to give an immediate response to Lindor's request. If not, it just shows how delusional they truly are about the matter.
After the incident in Houston, Manfred said there were no plans for any of the 30 MLB teams to extend the netting beyond the dugouts. His answer would become contradictory, as he said fan safety is of upmost importance, yet, he added there are fans who complain about sitting behind said netting.
It's mindblowing that MLB is too glacially-paced to expand netting to the foul poles. This is the easiest decision in the history of sports. https://t.co/RjYBypG97s
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) July 21, 2019
The Chicago White Sox were the first team to make a statement by stretching the protective nets all the way to the outfield. It's unknown if the Indians will change their stance from May, when they said they would explore the opportunity after the season, considering the incident that just occurred in their own park.
The case for stretching protective netting from foul pole to foul pole is becoming a rather easy decision given the number of accidents that occurred over the past few seasons. Given the little time to react to a 90-plus mph ball traveling toward the seats, this shouldn't even be a question for Rob Manfred anymore. It's time to take action.