You call it ... Utley slide into Tejada ends in injury!

Since you are a stickler for proper posting etiquette (https://www.baptistboard.com/threads/how-will-you-spend-halloween.96322/#post-2175764), I presume that you will not mind if I say that this thread should be in the Sports Section.

 

(e) If, in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead. The umpire shall call the runner out for interference and also call out the batter-runner because of the action of his teammate. In no event may bases be run or runs scored because of such action by a runner.

Of course no umpire ever is going to call that. It will just go down as "good hustle" and then Utley will get a fastball in his earflap the next time he steps in because the game "policing" itself is so much better than trying to look at player safety. They are finally taking care of catchers now so I wonder why middle infielders are fair game. Baseball takes forever to catch up with the times though.

To add insult to injury, Tejada didn't even get the neighborhood call. What a mess.

 

Several things...

1. Utley did not go out of the baseline; he had a chance of touching the base with his hand but swiped his hand too high off the base.

2. The Mets commentator claimed, "that was a late slide by Utley." Yeah, so what? No rule about the timing of slides.

3. Tejada's footwork was completely wrong. He should have guaranteed the out at second base by stepping directly on the base and then let his momentum carry him forward by jumping over Utley, and then eating the ball. Had he done that Utley would have collided with Tejada when he was off the base and Utley would have no chance of touching the base, meaning interference likely would have been called. If it were to be called, it would have been ruled a double play and the inning would have been over. Instead he tried to finesse his foot onto the base and then attempted a pirouette move. Wrong move. There is no leverage to make a throw to first when you are landing after spinning in the air.

4. Tejada had no chance of throwing out Kendrick at first base so never should have attempted his fancy footwork, pirouette and attempt to throw. Get the out at 2nd base! Does anyone think his throw to first would have been in time? No. On the money? No. More likely he would have thrown it away. Again, get the easy out.

5. Rule 6.01.a(6) in the judgment of the umpire, a base runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead.

This is a judgment call by the umpire. Runners routinely slide with an "obvious intent to break up a double play". Utley could have physically touched the base, which is the usual standard that umpires apply when deciding whether or not the runner interferes with the pivoting fielder at second base.

6. The neighborhood play at 2nd base on double plays ended with instant replay.

I don't really care who wins this series, so I have no bias. Just a neutral observer. The umps made the right call.

 

Utley has been suspended for games 3 and 4.

I'd bet my mortgage that this type of situation is going to be closely looked at in the off season. If they did it for Posey and the protection of catchers they have to do something to protect middle infielders.

 

They probably suspended him so the Mets couldn't retaliate against him. MLB is going to have to provide an explanation as to why that was an illegal slide.

Agree that something needs to be done, but I don't know what it would be.

 

I just read that the umpires did not invoke the neighborhood play because they assumed Tejada was only going for the force play at 2nd base and not the double play. That makes zero sense because the 2nd base umpire called Utley out and everybody could see Tejada was trying for the double play.

I've been hearing for over a year the neighborhood play was not valid anymore since the advent of instant replay. Now I read the neighborhood play is not reviewable around 2nd base , only force plays are.

This idea that the slide was late seems ridiculous because there is no rule stating a player must slide.

There needs to be an explanation on all of this from MLB.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

The league is cited rule 5.09.a(13):
A runner shall be out if:
in the umpires judgment intentionally interferes with a fielder who is attempting to catch a thrown ball or to throw a ball in an attempt to complete any play.

And there is a comment on the rule:

The objective of this rule is to penalize the offensive team for deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner in leaving the baseline for the obvious purpose of crashing the pivot man on a double play, rather than trying to reach the base. Obviously this is an umpire’s judgment play.

Utley did not leave the baseline and the umpire did not judge it to be interference at the time.