So this is OK

[SWC75]

Chase Utley barrels into second base, only beginning his slide when he was past the base and into Ruben Tejada's leg as he tries to throw to first base, breaking his fibula. Tejada in his attempt to touch the bag just before this was less than an inch from the bag but the umpire calls Utley out: the "neighborhood" play. Utley never did touch the bag and runs back to the dugout after the call. The umps then overturn the call and put Utley back at second. the Dodgers get a two out hit to take the lead.

The official expanation from MLB is that the throw drew Tejada off the bag and no the "neighborhood" call doesn't apply. The refs can reverse their call even though Utley never touched the bag, (What?!?).

It may wind up costing the Mets the game and a player.

 

[Briancuse]

I hope Harvey drills Adrian Gonzalez in the Kneecap.

 

[upperdeck]

where the throw was coming from had more effect on how he went after the bag than how bad a throw it might have been.. just a bad call.

 

[SWC75]

You could call it "old school" but baseball has been specifically legislating against it because they are playing players so much they can't afford "old school" any more. They just didn't enforce their own rules. Utley should have been out on the 'neighborhood' call and the batter should have been out on interference, ending the inning right there.

Actually, they tying run scored on that play so if it was called a double play, as it should have been, the Mets would have come out of the inning with their 2-1 lead in tact.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=351010119

 

[Ghost]

It was ridiculous. The throw was fine - he pivoted awkwardly, but the throw didn't pull him anywhere. It wasn't a difficult catch.

The MLB TV panel was beyond ridiculous - I watched them for a bit and they honest made it out like Utley was the victim. Wonder if anyone told them to add some spin.

"Did you see Utley? He ran off the field without his helmet. Then he put his head down in the dugout. Major league players do not run off the field without their helmets. They pick them up. Poooooor Chase!!! The true victim! I think he hurt his noggin!!!"

Utley was out. Interference, neighborhood play, etc...

 

[Ghost]

Also, Joe Torre's nonsense that he would have been out had they they tagged him is beyond nonsense. Maybe they would have tagged him, but he was called out, and then ran off the field. Why on Earth do you get to assume he wouldn't have been tagged out (if no call was made) and give him the base after the replay? That makes zero sense.

He's NOT out for abandoning the field, because he was already called out - so abandoning the field is fine. So you clearly assume he wouldn't have abandoned the field but for the wrong call. I don't know that. Utley is clearly a moron, for all I know he may have ran into the stands for a soda and still abandoned the play.

But you CAN assume they wouldn't have tagged him out if the call wasn't wrong? Huh? Even though he was not touching the base at any time? Torre sounded like a moron in his interview too.

Yankees fan here - but Torre, c'mon.

 

[Flacusian]

That play with the attendant incorrect call COMPLETELY changes the complexion of the entire series if not MLB's 2015 post season. MLB does not want to cast one of the players on a post season contender as a villain.
Too late. The fact that Utley was exonerated from any culpability in assaulting a player on the opposing team clearly demonstrates that there are problems with the manner in which the rules of the games are arbitrarily interpreted and thus enforced.

You would think that any play in which a base runner considerably deviates from the path to the base in such fashion as the primary purpose of the runner is no longer getting to the base safely but rather to make contact with the opposing position player...(and by creating a high element of peril and chance for injury to the opposing player ) ... the deviant base runner should be called out.

It's only common sense! All one need do is watch the replay and any impartial person would be inclined to say that what happened was flat out wrong!

So now what you have is an environment where tempers and animosity have been ratcheted up to ridiculous levels in a situation where emotions are already heightened. The fact that MLB itself has essentially condoned the assault of one of a teams star players only promotes the notion that players need to take matters into their own hands and the specter of reprisal action looms over the entire series and post season.

Shame on MLB. What we witnessed was assault and battery ... nothing less.

 

[Bayside44]

MLB is turning into the NFL with it's twisting of rules. A catcher cannot be in the line of a runner to apply a tag but a runner going to second can slide feet outside and late to take out a shortstop. And if Matt Harvey hits anyone in retribution he'll get tossed from the game.

 

[SWC75]

I don't blame Utley. When he was coming up that play was considered "hard-nosed baseball" and players would come back to an unfriendly dugout if they didn't take out the fielder on that play. But MLB has decided they don't want contact on the bases and they've made rules against this which they themseloves did not enforce last night. That's the problem.

 

[orangenauburn]

As a Jays fan I take umbrige with the no call out I the 14th at second on Odor when his foot left the bag and the glove was still on his ankle. Cost the Jays that game, and probably the series.