Yankees Remain Non-Committal On Expanded Safety Netting

To use a baseball analogy, the New York Yankees are still checking their signs over the use of expanded safety netting.

In May, New York City Councilman Rafael L. Espinal Jr. introduced a billthat would make protective netting mandatory to the foul poles at any ballpark with a seating capacity of 5,000 or more.

Over the All-Star break, the New York Mets installed netting past the dugouts that more than tripled the square footage of existing safety netting. At the time, Espinal applauded the move.

“My sincerest applause goes to the New York Mets for taking this big step in extending protective netting at all of their ballparks,” Espinal said. “So many families and fans will be kept safe because of this bold action. The Mets have been engaged and willing to work with me throughout this process. They truly proved that they are willing to play ball and go above and beyond on behalf of their fans.”

Yankees representatives, on the other hand, have indicated in recent interviews that they remain in a holding pattern.

“We continue to discuss the technical parts of installing expanded netting,” a team executive said. “We also continue to have discussions with Councilman Espinal.”

The representative was surprised the Mets had installed netting during the season and added that, should the Yankees decide to follow suit, their move would have to come in the offseason, given the schedule.