PEORIA, Ariz. — It’s been a few days now since Major League Baseball announced its new rules regarding plays at second base. Time enough for Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano to digest the changes.
Mostly, he sees the new rules as a step in the right direction.
“You think about how many guys have been hurt the last few years,” Cano said. “I know some guys like to play hard, but sometimes that’s stupid. You (intentionally) slide away from the bag to try to break up a double play…
“Look at what happened to (Mets shortstop Ruben) Tejada last year (in the postseason). Or (then-Mets shortstop) Kaz Matsui (in 2005) in Oakland.”
Tejada suffered a broken leg on a nasty slide by Chase Utley of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. Tejada missed the remained of the Mets’ postseason run and remained in a walking boot until late January.
Matsui missed eight weeks because of a bone bruise suffered a takeout slide by then-A’s catcher Jason Kendall. Those are just two of the injuries suffered in recent years on hard slides at second base.
“Not just because I’m a second baseman,” Cano said, “but I don’t think there’s a situation where you have to slide so hard and try to break somebody’s leg. Everyone here is supporting their family.
“You get hurt, and you don’t know if you’re going to be able to play again. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The new rules require that a runner begin his slide before reaching the base, be able and attempt to reach the base with a hand or foot, attempt to remain on the base and not change his path to initiate contact.
But MLB is also now allowing video-review challenges on the “neighborhood” play, which will require infielders to stay on the base when they take the throws on force plays. Those plays were previously exempt from challenges.
The neighborhood play — an infielder being in the “neighborhood” when he took the throw — sought to protect middle infielders on slides, particularly the second baseman, who often has his back to the runner when taking the throw.
Cano doesn’t foresee a problem.
“If you slide,” he said, “and you go past, you have to keep your hand on the bag. So if I stay on the bag longer, they can slide past the bag and hit you.
“But you can just take the ball and move away. The runner has to slide to the bag. You don’t have to worry about your inside or outside leg, that he’s going to come and get you.”
In other words, take the throw and get out of the way.
If you can.
“There are going to be issues,” Cano conceded. “Now, when you get the ball, you’re going to have to make sure that you’re there (on the base). The last thing you want is to mess the game up (because you weren’t on the base).”
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