Last year he and everyone else in that situation would have just barreled right into his legs (and it would have been fine). The times are changing.

Rules change every year. The players know the rules--mlb goes to each and every team in Spring Training and reviews the rule changes with the teams....so he knew the rule and he willingly violated it. He should have been called out.

Yeah, I said as much above. There will be many more cases like this, though, with takeout slides being such an ingrained part of baseball. And like with the catcher blocking rule, I have my doubts about it being applied consistently.

That one was pretty easy. He was fine until he tried to reach out and take the leg out with his arm.

Nope. His arm has little to do with it. He made no attempt the stay on the bag.

The Utley rule was intended to protect defenders from malicious intent and it's being used to overrule a baseball play that's been ok for over a century. Its just stupid.

I think they just cited the wrong rule. Grabbing a throwers leg has always been interference.

Yea, he reached out, ever so slightly. But that call was horseshit.

MLB has effectively ****ed themselves on this rule. The neighborhood play is gone, the pop up slide is now reviewed every time and with these two things happening, they have forced the infielder and base runner together in he same spot.

As a result, there will be a lot of guys who get nicked up or hurt at 2B.

But that slide? What the ****? That's a nice easy slide.

Bautista yanking out the back foot as he is getting ready to release. Ever try to throw a ball with someone grabbing your back leg. Call is a no brainer, especially given the distance the thrower was from the bag. Perhaps we should also allow DT tomahawk chops to to throwing arm?

Two things:

1. Yes, by the book, it's definitely interference. But technically so was barreling into fielders as they were throwing the ball and runners have done that for years with no repercussions. If this was 2015, what Bautista did yesterday is certainly not getting called interference.

#2. As you mentioned, though, they actually cited the new Utley rule in making the decision. It appears they deemed what he did with his arm to be an intentional initiation of contact and said it wasn't a bona fide slide on that basis.

It should have been illegal previously also. I still think the arm whip to foot was key but if he didn't do that the throw doesn't go 15 ft widewide of the bag, game over. Worth the gamble I guess.

I agree with the call. You can't grab at the guy as he's trying to throw it to first. That was just a dumb thing to do by Bautista.

ROFL ya no kidding. He didn't do anything malicious.

Bautista is a douche nozzle like no other, but 100% agreed on the slide. BFD

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@FlannyMLB: Been told that Kyle Zimmer is being held back in extended Spring because his shoulder a "little erratic." Will throw sides next week #Royals