Posted on 10/11/2015 7:22:13 PM PDT by DoughtyOne
NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball has suspended Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chase Utley for Games 3 and 4 of the National League Division Series for what the league deemed was an illegal slide into New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
Agreed, terrible call, Mets probably win the game if not for that call.
Today,after the ruling on Utley, I focused on him.
He definitely went for the man not the base.
IMHO a good call by Torre and MLB.
The second picture clearly shows that he went past the bag without sliding.
“Should have been for the entire post-season.’”
...and no more dodge ball on playgrounds. Utley was aggressive, hard charging and clean.
That is a clean play.
You see no evidence of him trying to hurt Tejada.
He didn’t spear him with his head.
He didn’t use his spikes.
He didn’t go in high.
He’s at the bag, his knee in the dirt, his hand over the bag, and his shoulder already in contact with Tejada.
The fact Tejada is right at the bag, makes it appear all the more that Utley slid too late.
The runner doesn’t have to stay on the bag. He can overshoot a bit at his own peril.
One: of course he can't award two outs on the play as it was called in real-time, because Utley is already out. They call that out ["In the vicinity"] ALL THE TIME. Yes, they can still call it interference if they deem the slide illegal and unrelated to his own attempt to reach base safely. In which case the batter is also out. Result: one put-out, one out awarded. Double Play.
Two: they call Utley safe on the replay. This, they completely munged up. Someone should have thrown the ball to the second baseman to step on the bag before time was called for review, because Utley NEVER touched second. Now Utley is OUT, regardless of what the replay says, because he never reached second. That is what the Mets should have done.And to keep them from doing that, Utley should have gone to second base.
Even so, in the review, because Utley did not tag second, the shortstop still has a tag play on him. The ump at second can rule that Utley left the base path to interfere with the fielder [that call is made from time-to-time] or made an illegal slide to interfere with the tag -- because rolling into a fielder is illegal -- and therefore both he, and the batter are OUT. Result: two outs awarded. Double play.
You may think it unlikely they would award two outs in the second case. OK. I agree. However, the ump is not restricted to a case where the runner interferes with the fielder literally in process of fielding the ball in order award two outs. That is the most common enforcement, but that is not the complete discretionary authority given to the umpire under the rule.
His hand is fine. I'm not saying he went wide of the bag to break up the double play. I'm saying that he went past the bag without sliding to take out the runner.
His knee is in the dirt with his hand almost on the bag, and his shoulder is already in contact with Tejada.
Tejada set up right at the bag, a big no no if you don’t want to be taken out.
Utley doesn’t have to stop at the bag. He can go beyond it at his own peril.
And the loss of Kang (IMO) kept the Pirates from winning the NL Central, and knocked Kang out of Rookie of the Year consideration. Jung Ho has a long rehab ahead of him, and that’s a damn shame.
I’m entitled to my opinion.
It was an everyday play.
This is a complete over reaction.
You may disagree, that’s fine.
For the record.
This is fact, not opinion.
Utley WAS in the vicinity of the bag.
He wasn’t out in center field like some have said on this very thread.
Go take a look.
http://media.philly.com/images/20151011-Utley-Tejads.jpg
Joe Torre himself said the issue was that he thought he slid too late. So stop the nonsense about him being nowhere near the bag.
Here’s another view showing Utley clearly within the vicinity.
And another...
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/files/2015/10/Utley-Tejada-slide.jpg
Late? Maybe...
I repeat that I disagree and think baseball is over reacting to a freak bad outcome to what is an everyday play that belongs in the sport.
Vicinity?
Absolutely unequivocally and without question he was clearly and definitively within the vicinity. Pictures from multiple angles prove it.
Are you really saying you can't see that. Look at the video of it plus your pictures show it too.
Nevertheless, you're still suspended, and next time, the shortstop, knowing the kind of player you are, brings his spikes down on your face.
While you're at home recovering from your concussion you can mumble your obscenities at the clean players on TV.
Yep. Correct call by MLB.
Utley goes past 2nd base without touching it after he gets dropped by Tejada's knee. That's why in your 2nd picture Utley has gone from an upright position to a prone position with his face nearly touching the ground
In my opinion, it was an illegal slide. No attempt was made to contact the base, every attempt was made to contact Tejada.
Illegal is your opinion, looked clean to me. Late, yes but clean.
No need to get butthurt over it. There’s obvious different opinions from others on this board as well.
Lots of players play hard & aggressive, is that a bad thing?
Because Tejada's knee hit him in the face. That's why he want past the base without touching it.
I didn't say the problem was that he went past second base without touching the base. That isn't the problem and that wasn't the ruling.
What is the problem is that he went past second base and then barreled into the fielder without sliding.
The play on Kang was a lot worse than this one. Kang was magnanimous about it, and should not have been. Since so many FReepers would probably claim Coghlan’s slide was perfectly clean and the way baseball’s always been played, I hope we will return the favor and deprive the cubs of a good hitting infielder for the season in 2016.
1. knee in the dirt at the bag
2. shoulder already in contact with the short stop
3. hand over the base
If you folks will study that photo, you’ll see all your claims go up in a vapor trail.
a. he didn’t go out of the base path
b. he can overshoot the bag and did, it’s legal
c. he didn’t make an unfair hit
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