PHILADELPHIA —- The good news for Brian McCann was how well he saw the ball Friday night while hitting in his new sports glasses.
"Hitting-wise, it couldn't have gone any better," said the Braves' All-Star catcher, who had a two-run, two-out single against the Phillies in his first game back from a stint on the disabled list for blurred vision and dry eye.
The not-so-good news: The glasses fogged up throughout the game when McCann wore them beneath his new hockey-goalie style mask while catching.
"We're just going to have to figure out something as far as catching," said McCann, who was optimistic in his overall review of his first major-league game wearing glasses. "It fogs up pretty bad [under the mask].
"We have to come up with some solution, maybe order some Oakley [glasses] that have the vents on top, or maybe try my old catcher's mask."
McCann said he might wear his traditional catcher's mask with the glasses this afternoon in the second game of the Phillies series to see if the more open construction of that mask will help air circulate and lessen fogging.
"We're just going to have to see what works, so I can help this team win some games," said McCann, activated on the first day he was eligible to come off the 15-day DL.
Backup catcher Clint Sammons was optioned to Class AAA Gwinnett to open the spot for McCann, who hit a double and threw out a runner Thursday in his first and only rehab game for Gwinnett.
McCann rejoined his teammates in Philadelphia, and looked and sounded in better spirits than he had been in several weeks while the eye problem weighed on him.
"It's just glad I have a uniform on again," said McCann, who spent much of his DL time trying out would-be solutions for the dryness and blurred vision in his left eye, including ointments, drops and contact lenses, none of which worked.
He was fitted for prescription sports glasses and a hockey-style facemask, and gave the gear passing marks after playing in it Thursday at Gwinnett.
McCann plans to wear the glasses for the rest of the season, then reassess the situation after seeing how they function through heat and other conditions.
He said it would take getting used to, but decided after catching five innings without the glasses Thursday that he needs to wear them not just for hitting but also when he's behind the plate.
He said a second pair will arrive next week, so he won't have to worry about rinsing or wiping away smudges, as happened Thursday when he pulled the mask off once while running to back up first base.
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