Once again we are mired in a controversy where everyone involved fails to see the middle ground. We have people freaking out about Jose Bautista's slide against the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this week, which cost the Toronto Blue Jays the game in the ninth inning.
MLB ruled the slide illegal under the new "Utley Rule," which banned specific types of slides into second base after Chase Utley violently took out and broke the leg of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in Game 2 of the NLDS last year.
On that note, Bautista's slide was not violent whatsoever. In fact, it was a pretty straightforward, smooth and textbook slide. However, the slugger extended his left arm and grabbed the foot of Rays' second baseman Logan Forsythe, which clearly affected his throwing motion to first base when he was trying to make the double play. Check it out below.
Here are the official MLB slide rules adopted this past offseason:
"If a runner does not engage in a bona fide slide, and initiates (or attempts to make) contact with the fielder for the purpose of breaking up a double play, he should be called for interference under this Rule 6.01. A 'bona fide slide' for purposes of Rule 6.01 occurs when the runner:
(1) begins his slide (i.e., makes contact with the ground) before reaching the base;
(2) is able and attempts to reach the base with his hand or foot;
(3) is able and attempts to remain on the base (except home plate) after completion of the slide; and
(4) slides within reach of the base without changing his pathway for the purpose of initiating contact with a fielder."
The new rules were mainly agreed upon to keep players safe from aggressive takeout slides, which cost two players their legs last year. However, at the same time, the provisions also encompass actions that directly affect the fielder's ability to make a play. While Bautista's slide was clean, his harmless maneuver to grab Forsythe's leg was simply illegal, no matter how "soft" or "emasculating" everyone is saying it is.
The problem was that MLB did a poor job of explaining themselves, and many began to interpret it incorrectly and asked, "if Bautista's slide was illegal, then what the heck is legal?"
Here's the official announcement of the league's ruling:
"The basis for the decision (Tuesday) night was that the Replay Official definitively determined that the runner violated rule 6.01(j),'' MLB said in a statement. "The runner's actions hindered and impeded the fielder. Additionally, he did not engage in a bona fide slide as he did not attempt to remain on the base."
That's really a foolish response, especially when everyone was looking for a specific and detailed explanation. All the league had to say was "Bautista made a correct slide, but his reached outside of the base path to grab the second baseman's leg, which also isn't allowed under the new rules."
That would have made more sense and it would have caused less of an uproar.
No matter how mad everyone is about the ruling or about how "soft" baseball is getting, the fact of the matter is that it shouldn't be OK for a runner to grab a body part of a fielder to inhibit him from making a play. And that's not going to be permitted in order to replace the old rules where a runner was able to unequivocally collide full speed with the fielder.
