PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 19: Freddy Galvis #13 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after striking out in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on July 19, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Marlins defeated the Phillies 2-1 in 10 innings. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

When a batter hits a foul ball out of play that injures a fan, a great deal of worry seems to set in with the player. After sending a fan to the hospital via a foul ball Saturday, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Freddy Galvis is sick of feeling that guilt.

Galvis went off to the media Sunday after he sent the fan to the hospital. Following a number of incidents similar to this one, Major League Baseball has encouraged its teams to increase the netting to seats behind the dugouts. However, not all teams have followed these recommendations, including Citizens Bank Park. This has caused Galvis to have a great deal of concern.

Here’s what Galvis had to say, according to Philly.com.

“What year is this? 2016? It’s 2016 and fans keep getting hit by foul balls when you’re supposed to have a net to protect the fans,” Galvis said. “The fans give you the money, so you should protect them, right? We’re worried about speeding up the game. Why don’t you put up a net and protect all the fans?”

“What if I broke all her teeth. What if I broke her nose. If I hit her in one eye and she loses that. What are they going to do? They’re going to forget in three days,” Galvis said. “It’s going to be a big deal for two, three days. Everybody in TV, media, whatever. But after three days what’s going to happen? They’re going to forget. But that family won’t forget that. Do you think the little baby will forget that? It’s true life. It’s something you have to put before everything. Safety first. Safety.”

So far, the Phillies front office has only responded by saying that they have extended some netting and are trying to balance the interests of different fans. They did admit, however, that they will reevaluate the netting at Citizens Bank Park following this season.

It’s easy to see why teams such as Philadelphia would want to make everyone happy. But as Galvis said, safety has to come first. And while the netting isn’t a perfect solution to errant foul balls, it’s one way to reduce the number of fans injured.

[Philly.com]

About Ryan Williamson

Ryan is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri and has recently returned to his Minnesota roots. He previously has worked for the Columbia Missourian, KFAN radio in Minneapolis and BringMeTheNews.com. Feel free to email me at rwilliamson29 AT Gmail dot com.