Manfred hopes Utley's appeal can be heard before end of NLDS

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is in New York prior to Game 3 between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field, and met with both clubs prior to the NLDS contest to stress the importance of clean play.

Manfred, who is well aware of the controversy surrounding Chase Utley's illegal slide in Game 2, is hopeful the Dodgers second baseman's appeal can be heard before the conclusion of the series. Initial reports from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal had Utley's hearing taking place prior to Game 3.

"Usually, we agree on a date, and we're hopeful we'll agree on a date quickly. I'm not going to speculate on when," Manfred said. "We'd like to have it heard as soon as possible. The union, reasonably, wants some time to get things pulled together, but given the issues involved, I'd like to think it could be done before the end of the series."

The commissioner also took some time to refute the claim made by Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw that MLB was possibly bullied into suspending Utley.

"The thought of Joe Torre being bullied by anyone I find ... laughable," Manfred responded.

Torre, MLB's chief baseball officer responsible for player discipline, handed Utley a two-game ban for an illegal slide under Rule 5.09(a)(13), which protects fielders from deliberate, unwarranted, and unsportsmanlike actions from baserunners attempting to break up a double play.