John Yang:
A lawyer for the girl's family said she suffered bleeding and swelling in her brain.
A 2014 Bloomberg News analysis estimated that more than 1,700 fans are hurt each year by foul balls, home runs and some broken bats during games and batting practice. Last August, a 79-year-old woman was killed by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. That was even after all Major League teams extended protective netting to the far ends of the dugouts.
As for future net extensions, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has said he doesn't expect teams to change their netting until at least the end of this season.
In June, he said: "We do have fans that are vocal about the fact that they don't want to sit behind nets. I think that we have struck the balance in favor of fan safety so far."
Still, a number of teams have announced plans to extend their netting. This week, the Chicago White Sox began installing nets from foul pole to foul pole.
In addition to the White Sox, the Washington Nationals are in the process of extending protective netting. Both teams say the added protection will be in place for their next home games later this month.
Jeff Passan covers baseball for ESPN. He joins us now.
Jeff, thanks so much.
This incident in Houston in May, this is not a new phenomenon. As we say, the woman actually died at Dodger Stadium last year.
Why did this incident in Houston become the catalyst for this discussion now?
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