MLB vows teams will 'redouble' efforts to add safety netting

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league would "redouble" efforts to add safety netting at stadiums for the 2018 season.

Safety netting has been a hot topic around baseball following the scary incident at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, when a two-year-old girl sitting behind the third-base dugout was struck in the face by a foul ball.

Manfred called the incident "extremely upsetting", but said in a statement the league would push for more netting at ballparks.

"Over the past few seasons MLB has worked with our clubs to expand the amount of netting in our ballparks,'' Manfred said.

"In light of yesterday's event, we will redouble our efforts on this important issue.''

Yahoo Sports reported Thursday only 10 of 32 MLB ballparks had extended safety netting to cover the area all the way to the front of both dugouts, per a 2015 MLB recommendation. The Seattle Mariners were one team to announce expanded netting on Thursday.

"This is an issue that we've been concerned about for some time," Mariners president Kevin Mather said.

"We still have some details to work out, but the bottom line is expanded netting at Safeco Field is going to happen."

The Yankees had issued a statement on the team's website in August that they were "seriously exploring" extending netting at the stadium for 2018.