Dennis Eckersley -- one of the greatest MLB closers EVER -- says baseball HAS to extend the netting around its stadiums ... or else more fans are going to get seriously hurt.
Of course, one young fan at a Houston Astros game Wednesday night nearly suffered that fate after getting struck by a line drive ... but it appears the child is going to be OKAY.
Check this out! It was a SCARY & JARRING moment @MinuteMaidParks last night during #Cubs-#Astros game, when a 4 YO girl was hit by a foul ball! It happened when Cub's player, Albert Almora Jr. hit a foul line drive into the stands. Fortunately, she's OK. #khou11 #htownrush pic.twitter.com/xvrxwmV5c5
Eckersley clearly feels that's way too close for comfort either way ... and now he's calling for ALL major league squads to extend the netting in their stadiums from foul pole to foul pole.
"It looks ugly," Eckersley told us out in NYC on Thursday afternoon ... "but ya gotta do it."
For their part, the MLB says it's considering all options ... telling TMZ Sports in a statement Thursday morning, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years."
"With last night’s event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue."