Albany, NY – Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) cheered the reporting out of her bill (A. 362) concerning protective netting at baseball parks by the Assembly Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection. The New York Yankees and the New York Mets had voluntarily expanded such netting prior to the 2018 baseball season, and most minor league baseball parks in New York State have similarly expanded or are in the process of expanding. The bill directs the New York Department of State to study whether these recent expansions of protective netting are sufficient to protect spectators from foul balls and thrown bats during baseball games, and to make recommendations to improve further safety standards.

The issue of safety at the ballpark has once again captivated nationwide attention. On May 29, a line-drive foul ball off the bat of Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Amora, Jr. struck a four year-old girl at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Although the Houston Astros had extended safety netting beyond the dugouts in 2017 – a full year before many other Major League baseball teams – the child had been sitting on the third base side beyond the last section covered by netting. Even more tragically, in August 2018, Linda Goldbloom was struck in the head by a batted ball at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and died days later from the trauma. Mrs. Goldblum’s seat was in a section behind a safety net, but enough seating rows back that the batted ball was able to fly over the top of the net.

“The extended netting at most ballparks has improved the safety of spectators, but horrifying incidents like this continue to happen,” said Assemblymember Paulin. “We simply don't know if these voluntary policy changes will be enough to protect fans from foul balls and thrown bats, and we know even less about how extended netting has or has not improved attendee safety at the half a dozen minor league ballparks in New York which seat more than 5,000. My bill would require the State Department to study the issue and make recommendations to further improve the safety of New York’s professional baseball fans.”

According to a 2014 Bloomberg News report, approximately 1,750 Major League Baseball (MLB) fans were hurt by foul balls each season – roughly one person every two to three games. All 30 MLB teams extended safety netting to the ends of the dugout or beyond before the 2018 season, motivated in part by the high-profile injury of a not-yet-two year-old girl at Yankee Stadium the previous fall. However, the exact configuration of netting is different for each team and each ballpark. None of the ballparks have netting in the foul pole-to-foul pole configuration that is standard in Japanese professional baseball parks and which the Major League Baseball Players Association had unsuccessfully requested as part of their contract negotiations in 2007 and 2012. No subsequent public study has been conducted to determine how extended netting has impacted spectator safety or what dangers remains.

“Every year, I spend many wonderful spring and summer days and nights at Citi Field cheering on my Mets, and I relish each opportunity to be close to the action and to take in the full ballpark experience,” said Assemblymember Paulin. “Baseball is not only our national pastime; it’s an important component of tourism and our local economies, particularly for minor league baseball towns. As much as we love the ballpark experience, it is not reasonable to expect attendees to be vigilant at every moment for a sudden 100-mph projectile that could threaten their health and safety. Professional baseball and New York State need to do what we can to ensure professional baseball games continue to be sources of joy for our families and not potential tragedy.”