MILWAUKEE (AP) 鈥 Sal Frelick returned to the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup for the start of the playoffs without needing to worry about hitting any metal if he crashed into a wall again.
Friday when his left side made contact with the metal chain link inside a window in American Family Field鈥檚 right field sidewall that had no protective padding. As the Brewers started their with the New York Mets on Tuesday, padding had been added to cover that window.
This isn't the first time stadiums have altered their fences or walls after a player got hurt crashing into them. For instance, Aaron Rowand was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006 when he ran face-first into the Citizens Bank Park fence. At Rowand鈥檚 request, additional padding was ordered and eventually added to the fence.
Frelick made a swift recovery and was back in right field Tuesday for Game 1. He had been walking with a crutch over the weekend.
鈥淵esterday I wouldn鈥檛 say he looked 100%, but he was moving,鈥 Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before the game. 鈥淚 was shocked at how good he was moving. They feel like he鈥檒l be a step more today, and that鈥檚 the only reason he鈥檚 in there. If we see that he isn鈥檛, then we鈥檒l pull him out of there.鈥
Frelick鈥檚 injury occurred when he crashed into the sidewall attempting to catch a drive from Francisco Alvarez that traveled into foul territory during the third inning of the Brewers鈥 over the Mets.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all seen Sal run into walls and do whatever, and he pops right up,鈥 Murphy said. 鈥淭he fact that he didn鈥檛 get up and he couldn鈥檛 鈥 he walked off the field himself, but once he got into the dugout, he had to be carried. I thought there鈥檚 no way he鈥檇 play. Fortunately, it was nothing structural, and he鈥檚 going to play through it.鈥
As Frelick crashed into the sidewall, his left side made contact with the metal chain link inside the window. Murphy said the window is there to allow the grounds crew to see what鈥檚 going on.
鈥淥bviously I know there鈥檚 a wall there, and I鈥檝e seen that window before just from shagging balls out there,鈥 Frelick said Saturday. 鈥淏ut I never thought twice (about it).鈥
Now he apparently won鈥檛 have to worry about it at all.
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