Iowa Cubs plan to extend netting for 2020 season

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The scary Albert Almora foul ball incident has spawned a lot of discussion about how long the protective netting should be at stadiums.

The Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cubs, plan to extend the netting all the way down both foul poles at Principal Park, according to the Des Moines Register. The changes will take place for the 2020 season. They had previously extended the netting to the end of each dugout in 2016.

The move had been in the works, but the Almora foul ball has given the issue much more attention.

“I remember having a conversation with Andy MacPhail when he was the president of the Cubs — that far back — about running nets down,” Iowa Cubs president Sam Bernabe told the Des Moines Register.

The Cubs Postgame Live crew weighed in on the discussion.

"I think the league initially left it to individual teams to figure out what their conditions are," Doug Glanville said. "Every stadium is different - that's what sort of makes baseball. All the stadiums have their own different styles. And sorry, you make that judgement, but it's really dangerous. When I go to games and I sit close with my family, there's no way I'm sitting [there]. I bring my glove; you can be a major league player, but the ball ricochets somewhere and someone puts a hand in front of your face. It's 100 miles per hour, so they have to always continue to think about what to do."

Glanville also wrote a column on the subject, saying players have the strongest voice on the subject.

 

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