From deep within the bowels of the inevitable comes this: A fan has been injured by a projectile from the Phillie Phanatic's hot dog cannon.

It happened Monday night during the Cardinals-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. Here's the aftermath ...

Yikes. Jokes are going to be made about this, but anything hitting someone near the eye and leaving those kinds of marks is serious stuff. As ABC 6 notes, the victim -- Kathy McVay -- said she was unable to deflect or block the incoming dog because of a shoulder injury. More details from ABC 6:

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.

The color-television that follows isn't from the incident in question, but it gives you an idea of what said launcher of encased meats is like ...

As well, according to Yahoo those flying dogs are wrapped in duct tape to prevent them from, I dunno, coming apart upon reentering the atmosphere. People, that means it's not soft buns hitting your face but rather a hot dog made firm by outside forces.

Remain vigilant, people. The Phillie Phanatic has nothing left to lose.