Phillies fan injured by flying hot dog

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. -- Kathy McVay learned the hard way that a hot dog can hurt.

"It just came out of nowhere. And hard," she said.

On Monday night, McVay was at the Phillies-Cardinals game at Citizens Bank Park. She was seated behind home plate when the Phanatic rolled out onto the field with his hot dog launcher.

The big green mascot started firing away into the stands. The Phanatic shoots real hot dogs, but they are wrapped in duct tape.

One headed straight for Kathy McVay's head.

"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.

She said she couldn't catch it or swat it away because she has a shoulder injury that will require surgery this week.

On Monday night, she ended up in the emergency room for a CAT scan to make sure she didn't suffer a concussion. She is black and blue and very sore. Her facial injury requires ice every 20 minutes.

She explained, "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."

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.

McVay is aware of the absurdity of the source of her injury, and she understands if others might giggle too.

"It gives people a good laugh, and if that makes somebody chuckle, then that's fine," she said.

The Phillies reached out to McVay directly on Tuesday to apologize. We're told the Phanatic feels terrible about what happened.

Nobody has been injured by a flying hot dog at Citizens Bank Park before. They've offered McVay tickets to another game when she feels better and wants to return.