White Sox To Play First Home Game With Extended Protective Netting

CHICAGO (CBS) -- White Sox fans headed to the game Monday night against the Miami Marlins will notice a big change at Guaranteed Rate Field, as the protective netting now stretches from foul pole to foul pole.

The White Sox extended the nets over the All-Star break, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball to provide protective netting to the foul poles.

The team took that step after a woman was hit by a foul ball hit by outfielder Eloy Jimenez at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 10, and a 4-year-old girl was struck by a foul ball off the bat of Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. in Houston in May.

The Washington Nationals also recently extended their protective netting further down the foul lines, but not all the way to the foul poles.

The Texas Rangers will extend their netting further down the foul lines next season in their new stadium. The Pittsburgh Pirates also have announced plans to extend nets to or near the foul poles, although they haven't said when.

The other teams in the league have netting that stretches to the ends of the dugouts.