TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Mud Hens will be extending the safety netting down both foul lines at Fifth Third Field for the 2020 season.
The team says they will also raise the netting's height behind home plate in a bid to keep fans safer at the games.
"Our mission is to create a fanatical experience for every person who visits Fifth Third Field," said Toledo Mud Hens general manager Erik Ibsen. "Expanding the netting will give our fans an added level of comfort to enjoy all facets of a Mud Hens game with their family and friends."
The new netting with extend about 250 feet from its previous end point down each field line to the foul poles, now including all the ballpark's seating areas from Sections 101 to 119 and 201 to 219.
The increase of netting builds upon the extension the Mud Hens made at the beginning of the 2016 baseball season, when it extended the safety netting about 40 feet along the first and third baselines.
To minimize visual impact, the Mud Hens have chosen to use a light gauge net down the sidelines to aid in visibility through the net.
The design also still allows an area for player-fan interaction on the home plate side of each dugout.
The goal is to have the netting extended in time for the Mud Hens' home opener on April 16 vs. the Indianapolis Indians.
