Over the past couple of seasons, including just last night Manny Machado has found himself involved in a few instances of where his late-slides into second base have at least in my opinion, have labled him as a "Dirty" player.
This injury not only affected Pedroia ability to stay on the field last season, but its effects lingering into this season where he only was able to be on the field for three games.
Here is Machado's slide into Pedroia where you clearly again see Machado with his spike up impaling Pedroia.
Machado "dirty slide into Pedroia"
This led to the infamous Matt Barnes pitches over Machado's head a couple days later, and the video of Pedroia telling Machado' that "It wasn't him" that had potentially ordered as deemed in the "Code of Baseball" to retaliate.
Now just a year later, You would think potentially that he would learn a lesson from what occured with Pedroia??? NOPE twice, yes TWICE he went into Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia causing on the first a no-throw and a run to score. But, it's on his second slide into second base where Machado is blatantly seen reaching out and grabbing onto Arcia's leg thus forcing the shortstop into throwing wildly to first base.
The first play wasn't challenged by Brewers manager, Craig Counsell, but the second one WAS, and it resulted in a double play caused by the interference by Machado.
Manny Machado illegal slide
The reason that this could be considered an issue is that it was only a couple years ago when Chase Utley who has had his own history of late slides into whoever is covering the second base bag on potential double-plays be deemed as like his current teammate on the Dodgers, Machado as dirty himself.
In this clip you will see multiple sides by Utely including the one where he slides late and into Mets shortstop Rubin Tejada, resulting with Tejada breaking his leg.
Chase Utley history of dirty slides
As you can hear in the broadcast, that this slide is known as a barrel-roll used to be very common in past seasons and used to "break-up" the double play from being completed.
However, in this instance, Utely deliberately goes out of his path in the baseline- to "go after" Tejada and it again results in both Utley getting a concussion as well as Tejada breaking his leg.
Following the post-season of 2016, MLB reviewed this slide among others and created what is known now as the "Utely rule" but for those who are wanting to know what is in this rule go here.
MLB Slide Rule ( Utely Rule explained)
What I am getting at here, is while yes this slide was popular among baserunners thirty plus years ago, in today's age and style of play where protecting players from injuries is viewed by many including those in the commissioners office as relevant to today's style of baseball then players such as the soon to be retired Utley and his current Dodger teammate, Machado need to be taught a lesson either by being suspended by MLB for more than 30 games or how about a year suspension.
Either way, Utely, and Machado while some may consider them hard-nosed players, and their slides as just trying to break up potential double-plays, in today's version of Baseball, those slides are now viewed as illegal and need to stop.
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