SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NBT Bank Stadium will have new extended safety netting installed in time for the upcoming Syracuse Chiefs baseball season.
The Onondaga County Legislature approved the installation of the new netting in early February and crews will complete the project by opening day 2018, the team said in a news release issued Saturday.
Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred recommended that all MLB teams install netting from the end of the dugouts for this season, and the minor leagues have adopted that same policy, the Chiefs said.
All MLB teams will have the netting in place by this season and minor league teams “will soon follow.”
“This was important to us for the safety of our fans” Jason Smorol, general manager of the Syracuse Chiefs, said in the release. “I am glad the County is on board as well, this is going to make the fan experience safer and more enjoyable this season and for years to come.”
The new, 30-foot high net will extend from the outside end of the home dugout to the outside end of the visitor’s dugout.
The netting is a welded-seam netting with no tied knots to have “97 [percent] visibility,” the Chiefs said.
“I congratulate the Onondaga County Legislature and the Chiefs for taking this action to further assure the safety and enjoyment of fans while at NBT Stadium. This move only enhances the fan friendly atmosphere that has always been part of Syracuse Chiefs baseball,” Randy Mobley, president of the International League, said in the news release. The Syracuse Chiefs play in minor league baseball’s International League.
Teams in the International League started installing the extended netting last season, and the process will continue over the next three seasons, the Chiefs said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com