Poll: Chase Utley’s Suspension
Official word is in: Chase Utley has been given a two-game suspension for this.
Many league suspensions get appealed, though, and Utley’s case is no different, with Utley’s argument being that there isn’t much of a precedent for this at all. He wouldn’t have known he could get suspended for an aggressive takeout slide at second. A week and a half ago, this happened in Texas, and there wasn’t any discipline:
Unlike Utley’s slide, that one took place over the base, but it was also horribly late, with the runner coming down on the infielder’s shin. As the slide completed, the runner was several feet beyond the bag. But there wasn’t a major injury, and later on Rougned Odor apologized to Johnny Giavotella. It was one of those “just playing the game” things, and this isn’t meant to single out Odor. It seems like slides like this happen on a daily basis.
So, for Utley, it’s about the lack of precedent. He did something a lot of players would do, and he’s facing discipline in large part because the other guy happened to get injured. From the league’s standpoint, though, you have to start somewhere, if you want to eliminate this play. Someone has to be the first to get penalized, unless you want to wait to do anything until the playoffs are over. And I imagine they didn’t want to risk another injury. They wanted to make a statement, and this was an opportunity.
So! A poll, for you.
Jeff made Lookout Landing a thing, but he does not still write there about the Mariners. He does write here, sometimes about the Mariners, but usually not.
Moral luck, as applied to baseball. I dig it.
Utley’s motive was transparent – he didn’t even bother to make an effort to touch second base, which I guess is now optional too. If this goes without appropriate measures by the MLB then call the playoffs the farce that it is. The MLB changed the catcher blocking home plate rule, so this is no way even close to the spirit of the rules. They should get ready to allow the Mets plenty of leeway to throw high and tight in the strike zone… after all, it’s the same reasoning if the slide is permissibile.
Nah. That kind of play has been part if MLB for a century. The ONLY reasons that any kind of penalty has been imposed are a) an injury was involved and b) it’s a playoff game.