PHILADELPHIA -- A fan threw a bottle onto the field near Ryan Howard after he grounded out to end the Phillies' 6-3 loss to the Brewers on Saturday.
Howard did not see the bottle thrown at him, but the Phillies confirmed the incident and have video of the bottle being thrown. The person has not yet been identified, and the club has turned the matter over to police.
"I've done too much in this town to have that kind of stuff," Howard told Philly.com. "If you want to yell out 'You suck,' that's whatever. But when you start throwing stuff, that's when stuff gets personal. …
"To me, that's crossing the line. It becomes a security issue. It's not necessary. That stuff infuriates me."
Howard is hitting .151 this season and is hitless in three pinch-hit opportunities in the four games since Tommy Joseph has taken over at first base. But Howard was a catalyst in the Phillies' 2008 World Series run. He averaged 44 home runs per season from 2006 through 2011 before he tore his left achilles in that year's NLDS.
The 36-year-old first baseman will return to the Phillies lineup against the Cubs, manager Pete Mackanin said after Saturday's loss.