Rosenthal: How many tragedies must occur before Major League Baseball takes the next step?

From Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic on May 30, 2019:

You hear it all the time: “It will take a tragedy for something to change.”

Well, baseball already has had a tragedy, last August at Dodger Stadium when Linda Goldbloom — celebrating her 79th birthday and 59th wedding anniversary — died after being hit by a batted ball.

We do not yet know the extent of the injuries to the young girl in Houston who was struck Wednesday night by a foul ball off the bat of the Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. At the very least, it was a near-tragedy, joining a list of similar scares in recent seasons. And yet, baseball still has not gone far enough, still has not ordered protective netting to go beyond the far ends of the dugouts — a step all 30 teams took to start the 2018 season — and extend to the foul poles.

So, what will it take for something to change? Two tragedies? Three? 10? 20?

Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/1003449/2019/05/30/rosenthal-how-many-tragedies-must-occur-before-major-league-baseball-takes-the-next-step/



Originally published: May 31, 2019. Last Updated: May 31, 2019.