Angels' Ausmus: Marisnick should be suspended for collision with Lucroy

The Los Angeles Angels likely lost starting catcher Jonathan Lucroy to injury in a scary home-plate collision Sunday that left manager Brad Ausmus fuming.

Ausmus, himself a former catcher, was adamant that Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick should face additional discipline from the league for running over Lucroy during the eighth-inning play.

"It certainly didn't look like a clean play," Ausmus told reporters after the Angels' loss, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. "It looked like Marisnick took a step to the left and bowled into him with his arm up. ... MLB should probably take a look at it and consider some type of suspension, quite frankly."

Marisnick collided with Lucroy when the catcher went up the third-base line to field Kole Calhoun's throw. Marisnick did appear to deviate from the baseline and lower his shoulder as they made contact. Lucroy was eventually carted off the field and is now being evaluated at hospital for a possible concussion and fractured nose.

Though initially ruled safe, the call was overturned on video review and Marisnick was ruled out as part of a 9-2 double play. He wasn't ejected.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

"The call was right," Ausmus said.

Marisnick immediately showed concern on the field for Lucroy as the catcher lay on the field and expressed contrition postgame for what happened.

"That was a bad play for me," Marisnick said, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. "I was running, and I see him take a step kinda up the line, like he's gonna drop and go back. So I tried to take an instep and slide headfirst on the inside corner (of the plate). I watched the play again ... he just dropped right in front of me.

"It's terrible. I wish him the best. I hope he's okay. I'm gonna reach out to him ..."

Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who also caught in the majors, said the play clouded his team's walk-off victory.

Home-plate collisions, once a frequent occurrence in baseball, were outlawed by MLB shortly after San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey suffered a season-ending ankle injury in 2011.

Enacted in 2014, Rule 7.13 - informally known as the "Posey rule" - reads in part that the runner will be called out if ruled to have "deviate(d) from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate)." Conversely, it bars catchers from blocking the runner's path without having possession of the ball, unless it's done in an attempt to field the throw.