The suspension of Chase Utley for games 3 and 4 of the National League Division Series is the most egregious and confounding mistake that Major League Baseball has made in recent memory. By now we’ve all seen the play, so there is no expand on the fact that Utley committed a slide that was and has always been categorized as a dirty play. Until now, though, this strategic slide has never earned a punishment. What happened to Tejada is nothing short of heartbreaking, but Utley wouldn’t have been suspended if Tejada had not broken his leg. This suspension was completely results based.
Rule changes occur all the time in professional sports to increase player safety. For example, the NFL now has rules that penalizes late hits to quarterbacks. The caveat for that change came when Tom Brady tore his ACL in a hit to the lower body that he took from a Kansas City Chiefs defender long after he released the ball. Brady missed the remainder of the 2008 season after taking that hit.
Some would point out that football is way more dangerous and vicious game than baseball, but baseball has had its fair share of contact collisions. Many may recall when Scott Cousins, the player who ran over and broke Buster Posey’s leg in a home plate collision. Cousins wasn’t even fined for his actions, and it took almost three years after for the MLB players union and the MLB to establish and agree upon rule changes to protect catchers. Somehow, though, MLB has found Chase Utley’s slide, a play that happened in a crucial postseason game, to be suspension worthy.
Utley’s strategic and dirty slide is a play that happens many times throughout a season, if not in every game. If the Utley’s action warrants a suspension, it has to be collectively bargained. Only a month ago, Pirates shortstop and rookie of the year candidate Jung Ho Kang tore his ACL in a very similar play when Chris Coghlan of the Cubs tried to break up a potential double play. While Chris Coghlan’s slide didn’t look as intentional as Utley’s, the unfortunate result was nearly the same. After hearing he would be lost for the season, Kang said, “It is unfortunate that what would be considered heads-up baseball would cause such a serious injury. That said, Coghlan was playing the game the way it should be played. I’m confident he meant me no harm. I appreciate everyone’s support.” Bottom line: Kang understands that it was a legal baseball play and he would do the same exact thing if the table were turned.
Utley did not intend to hurt Tejada. If he knew he would have broken another player’s leg, he probably wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Speaking from a pure rules perspective, Utley was in violation of rule 5.09(a)(13) as he did intentionally crash into the pivot man on a double play. Utley should have been called out, and maybe that would have changed the outcome of the game. But “should” is the key word.
The last line of rule 5.09(a)(13) states, “Obviously this is an umpire’s judgment play.” While my opinion might be that Utley intentionally slid to break up the double play, he wasn’t called out because either the umpires truly though that what Utley did was unintentional, or because they have seen and called the play the same way so many times. Alternatively, it is always possible that Utley was trying to avoid a collision and that is why he went to the side of the base instead of right to it, thinking that Tejada would be on the base. It sounds unlikely, but that is where an umpire’s discretion comes into play.
Baseball, like any other sport, has always been a game of human error no matter how much replay is involved. Utley did make an attempt to touch the base, with his hand just slightly hovering over the bag. I would understand if this offseason Major League Baseball bargained with the player’s union to implement some kind of suspension or fine for this type of play. However, there is precedent, and never before has there been definitive ruling on it let alone warrant for suspension.
Major League Baseball suspends players all the time for fighting, throwing punches, and substance abuse. These acts are all considered extra circular activity, things that have nothing to do with the actual rules of the game. But rarely in recent memory, if ever, has MLB suspended anyone for committing a dirty “baseball” play other than a pitcher throwing at a batter intentionally. If Tejada had not broken his leg or if the game was not part of the playoffs, I believe Joe Torre would not have suspended Utley. For now, Chase Utley is active for game three because of the appeal process. Expect Utley to win the appeal due to the commonality of this type of play and the excessive use of power exhibited by Executive Vice President Torre.
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