Despite Taking Foul Ball To Forehead, Rockies Fan Doesn't Want Netting Extended
DENVER (CBS4) - Linda Pechar has headaches from time to time but for the most part only a small scar to show following her "collision" with a foul ball at a Colorado Rockies game in April.
Linda was lucky to only suffer a concussion. It was the same for a Dodgers fan struck by a foul ball Sunday in Los Angeles while hosting the Rockies. The teenager's parents told CBS Los Angeles she stood up to use the restroom when she was struck. As a result, the Dodgers announced it would be extending the stadium's safety netting beyond the required length.
As for Pechar, she says she's concerned about safety but -- despite her experience -- she's not sure more netting is the solution.
She sat down with CBS4 Thursday to explain why she doesn't want more safety netting.
It was April 24, the Rockies were hosting the Nationals and Juan Soto was at bat. Linda and her husband were sitting in section 242.
"I heard the crack of the foul ball and I looked and I saw the ball comin' and I ducked..." said Bob Pechar, Linda's husband.
Linda chimed in, "I didn't!"
The Pechars have a great sense of humor, and while they can share a laugh about it, they know they are lucky. Linda calls it an act of God.
"I saw the ball and I was frozen. I could not move. And I the first thing I did was I covered my face and I just started praying."
She admits she wasn't paying attention.
"I didn't even hear the crack of the foul."
The ball struck her right in the middle of her forehead. It hit with such force, it bounced from Linda's head to the face of another fan five rows below.
Linda needed eight stitches, and while the cameras didn't capture the moment she was hit, she keeps the ball as a reminder.
"A reminder of, of... this is hard!" Linda laughed and continued, "and when it hits you at 100 plus miles an hour? I'm amazed that I was not hurt worse than I was."
She is well aware of the number of similar injuries this season, but says she doesn't want to see the field surrounded by a screen.
"People go to the games, they want to catch foul balls and I don't see a real need to extend nets further."
At the beginning of the 2018 season, all MLB teams were required to upgrade and extend nets to at least the far end of the dugouts. The Dodgers will go further this season as a result of Sunday's injury. Other teams are also considering different configurations of safety nets.
CBS4 reached out to the Rockies Thursday for comment but did not hear back.