Chase Utley makes gorgeous admission about notorious Ruben Tejada slide
Ten years later, Chase Utley is getting candid concerning the play that made him notorious in Flushing.
Utley, the previous Phillies and Dodgers second baseman, joined Barstool Sports activities’ “Pardon My Take” on Wednesday when he was requested about his 2015 NLDS Sport 2 slide that took out Ruben Tejada and fractured his proper fibula.
Utley — who was enjoying with Los Angeles through the sequence — expressed some regrets about how the entire scenario performed out.
He stated on the present that he went in onerous at second base in that fateful seventh inning, however he had no intention to harm Tejada, whom Utley anticipated to leap when he caught the ball on the second base bag off a feed from Daniel Murphy.
As an alternative, Tejada turned and didn’t get excessive sufficient, resulting in the violent collision that knocked Tejada out for the remainder of the postseason.
“There was zero intention to F anyone up on that play,” Utley stated. “I’ve all the time gone in onerous, and that was no totally different. Clearly, the result was totally different than different slides that I’ve had. I didn’t anticipate truly hitting him practically as onerous as I did. I used to be anticipating him leaping up within the air due to the way in which it unfolded, and as you’ll be able to think about, it’s taking place fairly fast. As he took the feed, I’m pondering, ‘OK, he’s going to hit the bag, rise up off his toes, and attempt to throw it.’ I’m attempting to slip a bit bit with my physique greater so I can clip a leg and get his throw off. However as an alternative, he spun, which I used to be undoubtedly not anticipating.”
Utley then stated he didn’t really feel nice about all of it shook out, going as far to say he “felt horrible” concerning the scenario.
“And looking out again on it, I didn’t be ok with it,” Utley stated. “I truly felt horrible about it. I had no intention of injuring him in anyway.”
The six-time All-Star stated he tried to apologize to Tejada, who apparently wished no half in that, which Utley stated made whole sense.
Utley was initially suspended two video games by MLB, however appealed and was allowed to stay energetic within the sequence, getting booed mercilessly by the Citi Subject crowd through the Sport 3 introductions earlier than yet another at-bat in Sport 5.
The league ultimately dropped the suspension totally however modified the principles to make it clear about how a runner ought to slide into second base. Not lengthy after in 2016, the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard threw behind Utley when the 2 groups met in Queens the next season, resulting in a viral ejection and argument from then-New York skipper Terry Collins.
Utley, on the finish of his response, stated he’d do issues in another way now figuring out the result for Tejada, who performed simply 83 extra huge league video games.
“If I may return in time and figuring out the result that occurred, after all I might’ve achieved it in another way,” Utley stated. “I might’ve realized that he’s not going to leap, he’s going to spin, and I may’ve disrupted his throw in another way.”
