The baseball world still isn't over it.
The controversial Chase Utley slide that broke Ruben Tejada's leg last season and triggered a rule change is still a topic of debate. What we do know is that MLB moved forward with rule 6.01, otherwise known as the "Utley Rule," which prohibits over-aggressive slides.
Fast forward to Monday night's blowout between the Dodgers and Padres, and Utley executed yet another interesting slide, this time at the plate. Check it out:
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Here are three possible reasons to explain Utley's slide:
Clean: Utley can't see the play behind him, and maybe he took a guess which side of the plate catcher Derek Norris was going to receive it. For all we know, he guessed wrong and walked right into an out.
Dirty: Utley clearly had no intention of sliding away from Norris. Instead of avoiding a collision, he slid directly into him, essentially giving San Diego an easy out.
Dumb: The throw from Alexei Ramirez came from shallow left field and carried Norris inside the third-base line. If Utley slid wide into foul territory, there's a good chance he would've been safe.
