APPLETON, WI (SPECTRUM NEWS) - During a Chicago Cubs' game with the Astros on Wednesday a young girl was hit by a line drive foul ball sending the child to the hospital.
Management of the Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton has taken the extra mile to keep fans safe from foul balls and broken bats.
The protective netting of the home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers covers many of the seats in the ballpark.
"We wanted to protect fans of the real closeness to home plate, and incidents in our ball park have gone way down," explained Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' President Rob Zerjav.
Zerjav told Spectrum News that Major League Baseball (MLB) made recommendations for all major and minor ballparks to use protective netting for seats 75 feet or closer to home plate.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers went above and beyond by extending their protective netting to the far edges of their dugouts which provided protections for fans sitting more than a 100 feet away from home plate.
The vertical netting reaches 40 feet in the air but does not wrap completely over the top of stands.
"We encourage fans to pay attention to the game and be aware that there are balls that will get into the stands. If it's not on a line it could be coming [down] in on a loop," explained Zerjav.
Appleton dad Adam Frey and his three kids watch the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at the ballpark.
"Yeah, we were just there a week ago and I remember they had extra netting up and I remember thinking then that that's a good idea. A couple of quick fast falls ball would've gotten somebody if it hadn't hit the net first," said Frey.
Appleton mom Macaulay Freed says she's not worried about her children at major or minor league baseball games.
"Like a hockey game they have plexiglass walls to protect their fans from the hockey pucks flying," said Freed.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' President Rob Zerjav points out that while Fox Stadium is safer with the extra netting, fans should still be aware of the game at all times.
"You're at a ballgame, you're having fun. Baseball is a very social sport, so we understand people are going to be talking and they're going to be on their phones, but with that said, when there's action happening, yeah pay attention to where the ball is going," said Zerjav
Zerjav recommends that if you're planning to bring children to a game at Fox Cities Stadium, plan to order seats in one of the many sections protected by netting.