Imagine this.

You are a father taking his son to his first major-league game. You have splurged for choice seats. They are close enough to the dugout that you can hear the baseball thwack into the catcher’s glove. Your son can pick up occasional chatter from the players.

Your son has his hot dog and soda and wears his new baseball cap. You have a cold beer. It’s perfect.

Until a foul ball comes screaming off a bat at 90 to 100 mph and reaches your son’s face in less than a second. The perfect day at the ballpark has turned into a nightmare.

It’s a tragedy that should never happen. The technology is in place to install protective netting that minimally changes the fans’ experience and could save a life or protect someone from traumatic injury.

In 2002, a 13-year-old girl attending a Columbus Blue Jackets game died after being struck by a puck, prompting the NHL to erect mandatory netting the next season. After a few games, fans barely noticed the nets.

I bring this up now because the New York Mets have announced they are expanding their protective netting at Citi Field. It will be in place after the All-Star Game, in time for the Rockies’ visit to New York on July 14-16.

Fans now will be protected well beyond the dugouts and down the left- and right-field foul lines. Along with expanding the 30-foot netting by four sections on each side of home plate, the Mets are installing 8-foot netting that spans two sections farther down each foul line.

According to the Mets, the new protection covers an area three times larger then the existing netting at Citi Field. The Mets also said the new netting will utilize “enhanced technology that increases transparency and is 97% invisible.”

I broached this topic on Twitter the other day and most fans who responded agreed with me that all major-league ballparks should enhance fan protection from flying bats and balls. Of course, more than a few fans disagreed.

“Why change it? Baseball’s been like this for more than 100 years,” one fan tweeted. Related Articles September 25, 2020 Josh Fuentes would embrace utilityman role after standout Rockies season

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To which I say, just because something’s been around forever doesn’t mean it shouldn’t change. Also, most of the new ballparks are more intimate than those of 50 or so years ago. Fans are on top of the action.

According to a 2014 study by David Glovin of Bloomberg News, 1,750 fans are injured each year by foul balls or broken bats that fly into the stands.

Another fan accused me of promoting “a nanny state,” while another said it’s the responsibility of the fans in the most expensive seats to “pay attention” to the game on the field.

Yes, fans should be alert. But in today’s world of smartphones and other in-stadium distractions, getting hit by a flying bat can’t be blamed on fans simply for not paying attention.

And new netting isn’t going to ruin the fan experience. Some of the best and most expensive seats in the house are behind the backstop.

Adding netting down the foul lines, like the Mets are doing, wouldn’t be terribly expensive. The added protection would still allow fans to catch harmless pop flies, but it would keep them out of harm’s way from foul line drives and splintered bats. Perhaps the nets could be dropped between innings so that players could toss baseballs to little kids.

Major League Baseball recommended in December 2015 that teams have protective netting between the dugouts for any field-level seats within 70 feet of home plate. That was just a recommendation.

Now the Mets have gone above and beyond. I applaud the Mets for their decision and I hope the Rockies and every other team in the majors follow their lead.

Three up, Three down

UP

1. Diamondbacks: Archie Bradley’s transformation from starter to reliever has revived the bullpen for NL West contenders.

Brewers: Erich Thames — and his 19 homers — playing hero for Brew Crew that still commands the NL Central.

3. Royals: Behind slugging Lorenzo Cain, K.C. won six straight and got back in AL Central conversation.

DOWN

1. Reds: Nowhere but down for Cincinnati, which lost its seventh straight Friday night, tumbling to the Dodgers.

2. Giants: After losing Friday, they were 17½ games out in the NL West and had lost seven consecutive to the Rockies for the first time in franchise history.

3. Orioles: After a great start, Baltimore dropped 23 of its next 33 as the pitching staff was tagged with a 5.94 ERA.

Spotlight on: Jake Lamb, 3B, Diamondbacks

What’s up: Most baseball fans knows about Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona’s perennial all-star slugging first baseman. Less known is Lamb, who entered the weekend with 57 RBIs, most in the majors. The left-handed hitting third baseman is an integral part of a dynamic offense that has the Diamondbacks challenging the Rockies and Dodgers in the National League West. Arizona entered the weekend riding a four-game winning streak and perched just one game behind the Rockies. The Diamondbacks come to Coors for three games beginning Monday, then the Rockies head to Phoenix on June 30 for a three-game set.

Background: Lamb, 26, was a sixth-round draft choice out of Washington in 2012 and he’s now emerging as a star. He broke out last season, banging 29 homers, driving in 91 runs and posting an .840 OPS. He’s setting a torrid pace this season, entering the weekend with 16 homers, 13 doubles and three triples. “He’s just driving in big runs,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told the Arizona Republic last week. “I just hope the league takes notice of that. I hope the league sees that, recognizes that and gives him a chance to be an all-star. He’s deserving of that.”

Saunders’ take: I love to play off Lamb’s name on Twitter. “Lamb chops a base hit to left. … Lamb shanked that ball down the right-field line. … High flyball to center, that’s a sacrificial Lamb. … Rockies’ closer Greg Holland silences Lamb.” You get the idea about my rather weak sense of humor. But in all seriousness, Lamb has emerged as a key to the Diamondbacks’ pennant chances. Moreover, he joins Colorado’s Nolan Arenado as a premier third baseman in the NL West. He’s not nearly Arenado’ equal as a fielder, but he has become an offensive force that the Rockies will have to find a way to control.