Target Field will see an expansion of netting down the first and third baselines as an effort to increase safety from dangerous line drives in 2020.
“Enhancing fan safety is always a high priority,” said Twins President and CEO Dave St. Peter. “Understanding every ballpark is unique in its geometry, we believe the new netting configuration is the right approach for Target Field.”
The new netting will expand 85 more feet down the left-field line for a total of 275 feet of netting, and 65 feet further down the right-field line for a total in that direction of 255 feet.
The maximum heat of the netting down the left-field line is 22 feet, and 21 feet to right field. Netting above the dugouts will reach 12 feet into the air, which is three feet taller than they were this past season.
To help ensure the netting isn’t an obstruction to fans, it’ll be colored with green hues to help it blend with the playing surface.
Here are the seating sections that will be protected by netting in 2020:
- Dugout Box sections 1, 16, 17
- Dugout Box Infield sections 2-6, 11-15
- Thomson Reuters Champions Club sections 7-10
- Diamond Box sections 103-104, 124-125
- Infield Box sections 105-108, 120-123
- Home Plate Box 109-119
Last season, a 2-year-old child suffered a fractured skull when hit by a line drive at a Houston Astros game, and in 2018 a woman died after being hit by a ball at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
