Joe Maddon tossed, likens home plate collision rule to Chicago's 'soda tax'

espn ^ | 10/14/2017 | Jesse Rogers

[BenLurkin]

Charlie Culberson tried to score from second on a single by Justin Turner and was initially called out by umpire Mike Winters for not touching home plate after evading Willson Contreras' tag. The Dodgers challenged the call, and after a video review, it was determined that Contreras blocked the plate before he received the ball. The interpretation of the rule infuriated Maddon.

The Dodgers challenged on the grounds Contreras broke rule 7.13, which states "unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe."

The rule was instituted prior to the 2014 season.

Maddon stated. "From day one, I've disagreed with the content of the rule ... That was a beautifully done major league play, that gets interpreted tantamount to the soda tax in Chicago."

[doug from upland]

Before the rule change it would have been a great play by the catcher. But he knew the rule.

[TTFlyer]

Stupid rule.

[OrangeHoof]

I thought the blocking rule was supposed to be an umpire’s judgement, like whether the third base umpire thinks the batter swung at the pitch. If, in the umpire’s judgement, the catcher blocked the plate, then he blocked the plate. Maddon would have a point if this is true because the replay official is not the umpire and the umpire cannot change a non-call after the fact.

[doug from upland]

It may be but the catcher knew the rule, tried to get away with a slick violation, and got caught. Good thing it wasn’t the winning run.

[Getready]

In the old days the runner would flatten the catcher.It could be the end of either or both players careers. I dont think one can impede a runners.proogress in any way.

P.s....not a dodger fan.

[xrmusn]

In the old days the runner would flatten the catcher.It could be the end of either or both players careers.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
Funny when the Cubs runner slid into 2B he ‘whiplegged’ towards SS and didn’t get called out AND the eventual winning run scored on that play, I didn’t see Madden out there ‘protesting’ for the Nationals Infielder.
(I don’t think the relay would have been in time BUT..’they made the stupid rules, may as well enforce them).

I agree with above about ‘old days’ and the see the reasoning but BB is getting like FB back in the days when the Defense said ‘May as well put the QBs in skirts if we can’t hit them’.

[ifinnegan]

It goes both ways.

Without the rule Culberson would have plowed him over and broke his leg and been safe.

[cgbg]

I agree with the new rule—do not want to see great players get injured on the home plate play.

[Deplorable American1776]

That's why he doesn't live in Chicago. His restaurant is in Tampa's Hyde Park, not in Chicago's Hyde Park...😀. He loves the Cubs, but he loves the Tampa Bay area...

[dfwgator]

See Ray Fosse....

[fungoking]

I'm a Cardinal fan, that alone tells you what I think if the Cubs, but...
I caught in hs and college and coached catchers in high school for 25 years. For all of my coaching career high school had the block/slide rule.
I support the rule but there are a couple of flaws, one highlighted on thus play. I've seen the throw take the catcher up the line toward 3rd and the catcher get run over and the base runner penalized even though it was the catcher pursuing the ball that caused the contact.
And what happened on this play. The throw is pulling the catcher back side of the plate. The step he takes to get in front of the throw is the same step he would take to block the plate. That's why it had to go to replay. The difference between having the ball and legally blocking is tenths of seconds.

[BenLurkin]

I will never forgive Pete Rose for that.

[GOYAKLA]

Targeting? /s :^}

[dfwgator]

And in the All-Star Game to boot.

[libertylover]

Stupid rule.

Disagree. Long overdue.

[GOYAKLA]

Touche!

[BlueLancer]

"In the old days the runner would flatten the catcher."

And that's the way that it should be. I played catcher through Little League, Babe Ruth League, High School, and college, and then played many years of softball .. close to 50 years total .. and have been run down more times than I can count, but never injured. If you're set up properly, low squat or knee down, the most I've had it do to me was knock me over backwards. If there's a chance that the throw is going to be close, then I would block the plate; if not, then I would stand in front of it.

Nothing gave me a greater satisfaction as a catcher than to stand strong and tag a runner out at home plate, either catching his leg on mine in a slide or physically having the ball between him and I when he tried to run over me.

50 years and I can still so those plays in my mind's eye with a great deal of satisfaction. Don't be a catcher if you can't take the punishment ...

[ifinnegan]

Pete Rose in the All Star Game showed what a bad person he is.

[BlueLancer]

Fosse was set too high ... if he had been set lower, it would have been Pete Rose that suffered the most punishment ...