Elias pegs the average number of home runs per game at around 1.31.

Unlike home runs, which also

wind up in the stands, foul balls don't count toward a team's score.

Baseball teams enjoy broad legal protection from lawsuits thanks to the disclaimers on game tickets and
stadiums. But the rise of social media has spurred image-conscious teams to action and players are also
speaking out.

Since the May accident in Houston, 13 teams have announced plans to extend netting protections in their
stadiums. Other teams are expected to make similar announcements in the coming months.

"We'll evaluate where we are after we give clubs an opportunity to make those changes on their own,"
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told the Michael Kay Show radio programme. "We have made a
ton of progress on this issue in the last four or five years, and we will continue to make progress."
Unfortunately, distractions abound at ballparks, including digital scoreboards and screaming vendors
that roam the stands. There is even the MLB Ballpark app, advertised as a "mobile companion when
visiting your favourite Major League Baseball ballparks".
 The ‘legendary’ US sports star most Americans don’t know
 Favourite player's injured? Get a refund

Dwayne Sowa is among the fans who have suffered gruesome injuries.

He was struck in the head by a foul ball at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park in 2014 while buying a beer
from a vendor. His wife Kelly heard the sound of his skull cracking.

"It was the worst sound she has ever heard," Sowa told the BBC, adding that he was embarrassed at first
because he had failed to catch the ball.
Image copyrightDWAYNE SOWAImage captionA computer image of Dwayne Sowa's skull showed
the extent of his fracture

Sowa was in hospital for 10 days and underwent surgery to reconstruct his forehead.

He received two tickets to a game and an autographed baseball signed by Phillies' second baseman
Jimmy Rollins, who was responsible for the ball that struck Sowa. He met Rollins and has no ill will
toward him.

The 49-year-old left the game early because he could not stand the noise. He has received no monetary
compensation for the accident, which Sowa says has left him unable to work. He suffers from "rage
issues" and currently receives federal disability payments.

"They signed my ball but wouldn't sign the check for my surgery," he says.
Image copyrightDWAYNE SOWA

The Phillies haven't apologised or inquired about Sowa's well-being, he claims. When his story appeared
on the NBC TV, the Phillies announced plans to extend the netting in Citizens Bank Park by the start of
2020 season.

A spokesman for the Phillies declined to comment.

According to Gorman, Sowa's situation is far from unusual.

"There are both physical and psychological consequences for fans severely injured by balls or bats," he
says.

"Oftentimes they are left with injuries such as the loss or distortion of vision, recurring severe
headaches, permanent scarring, and so forth. I know of some who have lost an eye, for example."
To be sure, many fans enjoy the hunt for a foul ball. They will bring baseball gloves to games to catch
them. Stadiums will erupt in thunderous applause if someone makes a particularly good catch.
Conversely, fans will boo people if they bungle a catch.

Zach Hample, an author of three books on baseball, has mixed feelings on the sport's safety push. While
he supports the need to protect fans from potentially dangerous balls, he argues that the additional
netting is making it harder for fans to interact with players.

"A lot of people are really, really not happy about it," said Hample, who owns a collection of over 6,000
baseballs and offers tips for souvenir hunters on his YouTube channel.

Image copyrightZACH HAMPLEImage captionWriter Zach Hample owns an impressive collection of

baseballs

"It's not just the collectors but casual fans too. The netting is very intrusive. Teams always say that it's
easy to see through the netting. It's not."

Writer Jayson Stark from US sports website The Athletic also is concerned that enhancing fan safety
could affect the relationship between fans and players.
 "Will this change the fan experience? Of course, it will," says Stark.

"We'll miss those moments where first basemen are running off the field after the third out of an inning
and hand a baseball to a kid.

"We'll miss those moments where the ball girl or ball boy down the left-field or right-field line scoop up
a foul ball and can just hand it to a kid. Those are special, lifelong memories, and I do have a pang of
sadness that they'll become a thing of the past."

The changes, though, are needed, Stark believes.

"Fan safety has to be this sport's top priority. So whatever it takes to make that happen, that's what has to
be done."

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