It wasn’t even a month ago – 25 days ago, to be exact – that ThinkBlueLA’s Lauren Jennings wrote an article about the pros and cons of increasing protective netting at major – and minor – league ballparks. Lauren’s article stemmed from a personal experience in which her mother had been struck by a line drive foul ball at LoanMart Field, home of the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. And while the piece pretty much left it up to readers to draw their own conclusions as to whether or not additional protective netting would detract from the overall fan experience, it was certainly a wake-up call that things were probably about to change with regards to the likelihood that ballparks were probably going to soon be adding more protective netting.

Whether or not Lauren had a premonition is subject to debate. But what is not debatable is that the scorching 107-mph(-ish) line drive foul ball off the bat of soon-to-be two-time Dodgers All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger that struck a young fan in the head this past Sunday at Dodger Stadium could have – and would have – been prevented had there been additional protective netting.

Fortunately, if you can call it that, Bellinger’s foul ball hit the young lady in the forehead above her right eye (as opposed to in it). She was immediately attended to by paramedics assigned to the stadium and eventually transported to a nearby hospital (with a ball personally given to her by Bellinger).

While the unidentified young lady (who appeared to be in her early 20s) was being treated, play on the field stopped for (about) 10 minutes, during which a visibly upset Bellinger was being consoled by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

“It was weird. I saw it literally hit her face,” Bellinger told reporters after the game. “I’m sure it was tough for everyone. I went over the next half inning to make sure. She said she was all right and gave me a thumbs up.”

Dodger fans may recall that a 79-year-old woman died after being struck in the head by a foul ball during a game at Dodger Stadium last August. The incident received little attention until this past February, when the LA County coroner’s report concluded that the woman had died from a brain hemorrhage caused by blunt force trauma as a result of being struck by the foul ball.

In September 2017, a toddler was struck in the face by a foul ball off the bat of (then) New York Yankees infielder Todd Frazier at Yankee Stadium. That incident caused all 30 MLB stadiums to increase protective netting along the foul lines.

On Monday afternoon, the Dodgers issued the following statement regarding the extension of protective netting at Dodger Stadium:

“Fan safety is of the utmost importance to the Dodgers and during the off-season, we began the process of studying how the netting at Dodger Stadium could be configured to provide better protection for our fans. Once this study is completed, the team will implement the recommended changes and extend the netting at Dodger Stadium. The team will provide more information on the project timeline and scope when available.”