If there will be retribution coming to Chase Utley, the New York Mets won’t be able to give it to him until Game 5 of the NLDS. On Sunday night, MLB announced that Utley would be suspended for Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS following his controversial takeout slide of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada that broke Tejada’s leg and ended his season.
LAD INF Utley has been suspended for Games 3 & 4 of NLDS as a result of his illegal slide in the 7th inning on Sat. pic.twitter.com/ktAjmXWFaR
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) October 12, 2015
This is probably the right move, though one that still won’t satiate the Mets or their fans. Tejada’s playoffs are done, and the Dodgers are now at a distinct disadvantage with Utley missing the next two games on the road.
It’s also preventing a potentially hostile situation from developing at Citi Field during Games 3 and 4. Mets fans (and frankly, any fanbase) wouldn’t exactly welcome Utley to the series with open arms, and things could quickly spiral out of control if emotions get out of hand.
It’ll also spare the Matt Harvey from retaliating against Utley and risking an ejection (and possible suspension) in his lone start of the NLDS. Imagine if Harvey threw at Utley in the first inning, and his NLDS was done after something like ten pitches. That’s not what baseball needs.
All in all, it’s not an ideal outcome, but it’s a fair one.
