Foul balls injure a lot of fans

Bloomberg News estimates that 1,750 baseball fans are injured each year by batted balls. That’s not how many foul balls there are, that’s just injuries. Major League Baseball doesn’t see the need to take any corrective measures as there is “no epidemic of foul ball damage”; the NHL put up netting in 2002 following the death of a fan who was struck by a puck.

Bloomberg also points out that the newer ballparks that have been built feature seating closer to the field leading to more injuries, but MLB says that is the way fans want it. An estimated 53,000 foul balls a season make it into the stands.