Wings to Expand Backstop Netting

ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Red Wings will expand the protective netting behind home plate per the recommendation made by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and echoed by Minor League Baseball President Pat O'Conner.

The netting will run from sections 110 to 122, or the beginning of each dugout, meaning all sections within 70 feet of home plate - recommended by Manfred - will be protected. Monroe County will complete installation by Opening Day.

An additional 550 seats will now be protected for fans seeking out safety when purchasing seats to bring the total to 1,417 total protected seats at Frontier Field. This represents a 63% increase from 2015.

"With the recommendation of Major League Baseball in mind, the Red Wings will install additional netting before Opening Day this season," General Manager Dan Mason said. "Fan safety remains a priority with the Red Wings and the new netting will meet all the recommendations of the Commissioner. We worked with our partners at Monroe County to come up with the best possible solution to MLB's request. The new netting will provide much better visibility than our current backstop."

The previous backstop at Frontier Field ran from sections 112 to 119. The netting currently in place will be replaced with new materials, meaning better visibility for fans watching the action through the screen. The old net had 85% visibility, while the new netting has 95% visibility.

Every Major League club's home ballpark will have netting expanded in 2016 and many minor league teams at various levels have already announced plans or have completed installation of the extended backstop to meet the 70-foot radius recommendation.