Phillies fan injured by mascot shooting hot dog
Everybody loves the Phillie Phanatic, one of the sport’s most popular mascots.
Everybody also loves hot dogs.
So of course fans loved it when the Phanatic starting shooting real hot dogs into the crowd out of a vehicle-mounted launcher.
The hot dog cannon made its debut in 1996 and has been a hit ever since.
On Monday night, however, the Hatfield Quality Meats-sponsored launcher probably lost a fan.
Kathy McVay went to Citizens Bank Park to enjoy the Phillies’ game against the Cardinals, but what happened was anything but enjoyable.
A Phanatic-launched hot dog hit McVay right in the eye.
LOOK OUT: Phillies fan injured by flying hot dog https://t.co/7uzddhvTTX pic.twitter.com/sxyzD2lBtZ
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 20, 2018
She told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia what happened.
“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,” McVay said.
“It just came out of nowhere. And hard,” she added.
Even though McVay saw the flying processed meat, she wasn’t able to knock it down because she’s scheduled for shoulder surgery this week.
She had no idea that the shoulder might be the least of her concerns.
“I have a small hematoma in my eye,” McVay said. “And mostly, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. It’s going to go down the side of my face.”
In addition to cuts and bruises, she was tested for a concussion.
McVay is using her injuries to warn other fans.
“Just to be aware, because you never know. I understand a baseball, but not a hot dog,” she said.
But you have to give the superfan credit; McVay isn’t planning any legal action, and she can even see the humor in what happened.
“It gives people a good laugh, and if that makes somebody chuckle, then that’s fine,” she said.
Fan safety has become a huge priority for Major League Baseball.
Teams have extended protective netting in every stadium to try and ensure fans don’t get hit by foul balls.
Little did we know that they also need protection from flying meat.
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