Ten years later, Chase Utley is getting candid about the play that made him infamous in Flushing.
Utley, who used to play second base for the Phillies and Dodgers, appeared on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast on Wednesday. During his appearance, he discussed his controversial slide in the 2015 NLDS Game 2 that resulted in Ruben Tejada breaking his right fibula.
Utley — who was playing with Los Angeles during the series — expressed some regrets about how the whole situation played out.
Utley explained on the podcast that he went in aggressively during that crucial seventh inning, but he had no intention of injuring Tejada. He expected Tejada to leap after receiving the ball at second base from Daniel Murphy.
Instead, Tejada turned and didn’t get high enough, leading to the violent collision that knocked Tejada out for the rest of the postseason.
“There was absolutely no intention to harm anyone during that play,” Utley remarked. “I’ve always slid in hard, and this situation was no different. The result was certainly unlike any other slide I’ve made. I didn’t expect to collide with him as hard as I did. I assumed he would leap because of the way the play was developing, and as you know, it unfolds rapidly. When he caught the ball, I thought, ‘Alright, he’s going to touch the bag, jump up, and try to make the throw.’ I aimed to slide with my body slightly elevated to disrupt his throw. Instead, he spun around, which caught me off guard.”
Utley then said he didn’t feel great about it all shook out, going as far to say he “felt terrible” about the situation.
“And looking back on it, I didn’t feel good about it,” Utley said. “I actually felt terrible about it. I had no intention of hurting him whatsoever.”
The six-time All-Star said he attempted to apologize to Tejada, who apparently wanted no part in that, which Utley said made total sense.
Utley was initially suspended two games by MLB, but appealed and was allowed to remain active in the series, getting booed mercilessly by the Citi Field crowd during the Game 3 introductions before one more at-bat in Game 5.
The league eventually dropped the suspension entirely but changed the rules to make it clear about how a runner should slide into second base. Not long after in 2016, the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard threw behind Utley when the two teams met in Queens the following season, leading to a viral ejection and argument from then-New York skipper Terry Collins.
Utley, at the end of his response, said he’d do things differently now knowing the outcome for Tejada, who played just 83 more big league games.
“If I could go back in time and knowing the outcome that happened, of course I would’ve done it differently,” Utley said. “I would’ve realized that he’s not going to jump, he’s going to spin, and I could’ve disrupted his throw differently.”
