Twins First Major League Team to Add Safety Nets

If you're headed to a Twins game this year at Target Field, you can rest assured you'll be watching the game in one of the safest ballparks in Major League baseball.

The Twins announced back in December that they were adding new dugout netting behind home plate to help limit potential injuries to fans caused by foul balls, splintered bats and other hazards that sometimes take place during a baseball game. That was in line with a directive from the Commissioner's office. But now, the Twins are going doing even more-- and are the first team in the major leagues to do so.

According to the Pioneer Press, the Twins are adding even more netting to Target Field in the off season, all designed to help keep fans safe during games but not ruin the intimate views of the action for which Target Field is famous. So what's being added?

Well, the story says, "Despite the fact they were safely within industry guidelines set forth this winter, the Twins will replace the traditional netting behind home plate with knotless Dyneema material. They will use a thinner version of that same netting to span the remaining distance to the end of each dugout."

"The dugout netting, which will be 7 feet high and require its own system of cables, is 1.2 millimeters thick as opposed to 1.8 mm behind the plate. It will be affixed to the front of the dugout roof, making it 'less invasive to sightlines,' according to Twins officials."

Twins president Dave St. Peter said in December, "The Twins remain fully committed to delivering the best possible game-day experience for our fans," St. Peter said. "In that spirit, we have developed this plan aimed at enhancing fan safety while preserving the unique sightlines and accessibility of our ballpark."

Seeing as I'm too cheap to pay for those expensive seats behind home plate or the dugouts, I'm guessing I won't notice any difference this year. But, good for the Twins for being proactive about taking steps to help keep fans safe here in Twins Territory!