Cubs’ Maddon worries about safety, or is he?
Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon has expressed extreme displeasure with Rule 6.01( j), one of Major League Baseball’s newest safety provisions, which penalizes runners who slide through second base to break up a potential double play.
Rule 6.01( j) — known as the slide rule, or the Chase Utley rule — was implemented before the beginning of the 2016 season to crack down on injuries to middle infielders after Utley infamously barreled into New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in the 2015 playoffs.
Tejada suffered a broken leg, outrage prevailed, and MLB responded.
Maddon’s Cubs, meanwhile, had a run wiped out Saturday because base runner Ian Happ overslid second base during the fifth inning of a 5- 3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs were assessed a double play, ending the inning and disallowing Kyle Schwarber’s run.
Maddon said Sunday he wasn’t upset with the umpires who enforced the rule, but that didn’t stop him from unveiling a list of tongue- in- cheek suggestions on how baseball can increase “protectionism.”
Maddon, it seems, is concerned about everybody — base runners, batters, pitchers, hitters in the on- deck circle, bat boys, beer vendors, you name it. At least we think he is. “I think we should consider now eliminating the head- first slide to protect base runners,” Maddon said. “That is really a dangerous slide. To head- first slide you can hurt your hand, and your eye can be poked out. All different things can occur on a head- first slide.
“I also believe, you saw [ Chris] Iannetta get hit in the mouth the other day on a pitch. I think the face mask should be mandatory for all hitters, and pitchers have been hit in head with line drives several times. Pitchers should be forced now to wear helmets.”
Maddon was just getting started, adding that he recalled Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies getting nailed by a foul ball by pitcher German Marquez while in the on- deck circle Wednesday.
“There should be a cage in the on- deck circle so on- deck guys can stand behind the screen and not get hurt,” Maddon said. “Finally, when I coached third in the minor leagues, I always wore a cup. I always was concerned. So I think there needs to be a cup check for players around the field in order to prevent the loss of future families.”
All these incidents are “much more dangerous than the slide incorporated at second base by Ian Happ. Not even close.
“I’m on board with protectionism. Head- first slides? What’s more dangerous than that?”