The Phillie Phanatic Inadvertently Shot a Wiener Into a Nice Lady’s Face

PHOTO CREDIT: BILL STREICHER-USA TODAY SPORTS

One of the most endearing traits of the national pastime is that every time you go to a ballgame, you might see something you’ve never seen before. Fans who attended Monday night’s Phillies/Cardinals game at Citizens Bank Park saw something they almost certainly had never seen before: The Phillie Phanatic launched a hot dog into a spectator’s eye.

You might be tempted to think I’m making this up. I assure you, I am not:

Yeah, but you should see the other guy. Action News’ Sarah Bloomquist had this story covered from all angles and was appropriately insistent that this was not a gag:

Bloomquist’s online report contained the details you’re surely by now looking for. “It just came out of nowhere. And hard,” said the victim, Kathy McVay. “And then the next thing I know he shot it in our direction, and bam! It hit me like a ton of bricks. My glasses flew,” she added.

As you can tell from the picture above, this was not a glancing blow. “I have a small hematoma in my eye. And mostly, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. It’s going to go down the side of my face,” Ms. McVay noted.

The Phillies are probably fortunate that the Phanatic didn’t cause more damage than he did with this shot. Baseball tickets have long contained expansive, small-print disclaimers on the back of the stub. You know, the part that nobody actually reads. That language generally absolves the team from injuries caused by either batted balls, bats or fragments of bats that end up in the seats. Ms. McVay’s potential right to recover against the Phillies almost certainly would be governed by whatever the limiting language on her ticket said, i.e., whether wayward hot dogs were among the covered objects in the disclaimer.

For her part, at least right now, she doesn’t seem interested in a lawsuit. “McVay is a big Phillies fan and doesn’t plan any legal action. However, she does have a message for fellow fans in the stands. ‘Just to be aware, because you never know. I understand a baseball, but not a hot dog,’ she said with a quiet laugh.”

I couldn’t help but point out the obvious:

Keep your heads on a swivel at the yard, folks.

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9 Responses

  1. I remember a game in 05′ when after warming up in between innings with a reliever from the bullpen, Bobby Abreu decided it was a good idea to toss a ball into the stands from his position in RF. The problem was he threw it about 150 ft. away into the seats on the other side of the base line and a middle aged woman who clearly couldn’t catch took the ball right in the schnoz and she was gushing blood. Abreu just stood there with his hands on his head watching ushers rush over to this woman until the batter was introduced.

  2. Morrie's Wigs don't fall off...even if hit by duct taped hotdogs launched by an air cannon says:

    That pic looks like Keidel with a wig on and a “I just got wacked across the face by ‘Peter North’ ” look on his face.

  3. Note to fans at the ballpark: Get off your cellphones—fucking pay attention to what’s going on on the field. “It came out of nowhere”? Nonsense—the hotdog cannon is a well publicized side show, unless you’re not paying attention.

    1. sorry bo, thats not gonna play in today’s society.
      Cell Phones are like a 5th Limb. you can’t function without them.
      How else can i get my updates on what sauce my downlo bros got on their enchilada today?

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