Freddy Galvis threw his hands in the air and motioned toward the area behind the visiting dugout on the third-base line in frustration.
It was not 24 hours since a foul ball he hit sent a young girl to the hospital Saturday night.
During Sunday’s 9-0 Phillies loss (see Instant Replay), another fan was struck, this time by a foul ball off the bat of a St . Louis Cardinals hitter.
Galvis was visibly upset.
“You worry about it,” Galvis said Sunday afternoon after the loss. “Especially if you have a family. I have a baby two years old and yesterday I hit a little girl. I don’t want that to happen to my baby if I go to watch a game.”
The Phillies shortstop is insistent on the Phillies extending their net even further than they did before the 2016 season.
Upon recommendation from the league, the Phillies added to their netting behind home plate. The netting now extends to the beginning of each dugout.
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Only three teams - Kansas City, Minnesota, Washington - have protective netting that extends to the end of each dugout.
Galvis would like there to be more.
“Perfect example is like, we’re getting paid to play baseball and we watch the game behind a net,” Galvis said. “We’re in the dugout and we have a net. So why do the fans not have a net?
“I see it today, some lady gets hit right in the mouth, something like that. I think it's really bad, you know? Nobody wants to see that.”
In a statement, Phillies Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Mike Stiles, said the following: “The Phillies expanded our netting this season to the sides of the dugout near home plate, as was suggested by Major League Baseball. We decided earlier this season to consider the possibility of further expansion next season. In making that determination at the conclusion of the 2016 season, we will take into account a number of factors including the opinion of our uniformed personnel and, most importantly, the wishes and safety of our fans.”
One of those uniformed personnel has already offered his opinion.
“I think it’s getting a little bit frustrating seeing some fans getting hit with a foul ball,” Galvis said. “Like I said before, I think the Major Leagues these days should do a better job taking care of the fans.”
“You have to take care of the people who give you the money. The fans give you the money.”
