For the first time in the 2015 Postseason, controversy has arrived! During Saturday’s NLDS Game 2 between the Mets and Dodgers, a hard slide by Chase Utley in the seventh inning injured Ruben Tejada and may have changed the trajectory of the series. If the classic matchup needed more hype, it has been provided. Furthermore, in this social media age, a play like that is a catalyst for every opinion under the sun. From the old-school traditionalists who nod their head in appreciation for the hard-nosed Utley and his aggressive playing style, to the new-school safety police who are appalled by the “recklessness” of the play, Saturday night’s event is bringing strong takes from every corner of the Internet.
It should not be a shock that Utley was involved in a play like this. Philadelphia will love Utley forever mainly due to the intensity he brought to the game on a regular basis and how hard he played. Whether it was breaking up a double play, running out a routine groundball, or scoring from second on a 1-3 bounce out, Utley made his money by playing the game “the right way.”
With the injury to Howie Kendrick, Utley became a regular. With Kendrick back, Utley will be coming off the bench for the duration of the playoffs and he will have limited opportunities to showcase his talent. The Postseason, however, is where Utley comes alive. It’s where he became a nationally known player with his World Series heroics in 2008 and ’09. Granted, that recognition stemmed more from his torrid hitting than from his playing style, but the fact remains that he was known as a player you wanted on your team.
On Saturday, America was re-introduced to Utley. This time, however, not everyone is singing his praises. After pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Zach Greinke in the bottom of the seventh inning, Utley hit a bloop single to move the baserunner Enrique Hernandez to second. Bartolo Colon came in and relieved Noah Syndergaard to face Howie Kendrick.
We all know what happened next and depending on how this series finishes up, it could live in infamy for both clubs.
The play was eventually reviewed, but not because of the sliding action of Utley – rather, it was because Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly wanted them to check if Tejada had actually touched the base. The umpiring crew ruled that he hadn’t and Utley was ruled safe. The rest is history, as Hernandez scored the tying run and Utley eventually scored the go-ahead run and the Dodgers tied the NLDS at a game apiece heading back to New York.
What was left in the wake of that game is a heated debate on the slide by Utley and whether it was “dirty.”
First things first. Was the play dirty? Maybe. Possibly. Probably. Many players are able to disrupt plays at second without going to the extent that Utley did. But let’s be honest: if Tejada hadn’t gotten severely hurt from the play, would we be talking about it as much as we are? If the Dodgers hadn’t eventually won the game, would we be talking about it as much? I would assert that the play wouldn’t even be talked about for the rest of the Postseason, let alone the series. The outcry isn’t about the action as much as it’s about what resulted from the action. That raises the question: should we only be outraged about something when it ends up causing harm or misfortune to another party? What if someone does something wrong and there are no effects from it? Is it ignored and just forgotten?
On Sunday, there was a group of people who found no fault with what Utley did. Are those people monsters because they don’t have the foresight to know that we he did was dirty? Of course not. Their perspective is based off how the play effected them, and in Dodgers’ fans case it benefited them. For the old-school, Pete Rose-types, they are indirectly effected, but it makes their heart glad to see someone play the game with passion and a burning desire to win, therefore they don’t see a problem with it either.
Mets fans obviously think it’s a crime against humanity or the very least their team. But what if David Wright had been the guy breaking up the double-play and it helped the Mets win. Would Mets fans still be outraged? Obviously not.
Mattingly said if David Wright slid like Chase Utley, New Yorkers would be fine with it. But I just can’t picture Wright doing that, ever.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 11, 2015
Well Anthony DiComo, would David Wright not do that because he wouldn’t play dirty like that or is it because Wright doesn’t want to win as much as Utley? And that leads to the final piece of this puzzle: Utley’s desire to win.
No one is suggesting Utley intended to hurt Tejada. That is certainly not the case. And no one is questioning Utley’s desire to win. He clearly wants to win very badly. Again, it shouldn’t be any surprise that Utley was involved in a play like this. To be fair, just because it aligns with his modus operandi, doesn’t mean Utley should be excused from his actions. Which he isn’t, he got a two game suspension. But you know what Utley would say if he was injected truth serum? “Worth it.” The Dodgers won the game. They are in this series and that’s all that matters.
The game is different. Back in the day, that would happen and people would wipe themselves off and move on. With the exception of the Ray Fosse-Pete Rose play in the All-Star Game, rare was there a play in baseball that was scrutinized for it’s alignment with playing clean. Ty Cobb must be rolling over in his grave knowing that the play on Saturday night was causing such commotion. Utley plays the game in a manner not common in today’s game. In addition, the game is more focused on safety than ever before. The “Buster Posey Rule” was imposed to spare catchers from harm on plays at the plate. Of course, the case could be made that if the catcher had been a no-name third-string catcher rather than a MVP-caliber player in Posey, the rule wouldn’t have come about. Again, the effects of the play caused the controversy and rule change, not the play itself.
Maybe this is splitting hairs. Maybe Utley should be suspended for the rest of Postseason, not just two games. Maybe the Mets should stop crying and focus on winning the series, because if they lose this series, the irrational Mets fans are going to come out of the woodwork and lament the failure of a 2015 season. Maybe the Dodgers should apologize and give the win to the Mets to patch things up. All three of those things are highly unlikely so lets get back to the game on the field. When this is all said and done, maybe some rule clarification will happen, and that’s fine. But right now Utley is either a dirty player who crossed the line or someone who is a hero. In reality, it’s probably somewhere in the middle.
