Update (12:18 PM EDT): Tejada suffered a fractured right fibula, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports. That, certainly, will end Tejada’s season.
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Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada had to be carted off the field in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers. With Enrique Hernandez on third base and Chase Utley on first and one out, Howie Kendrick hit a ground ball up the middle. Daniel Murphy, ranging to his right, corralled the ball and flipped to Tejada, who had to whip around to fire to first. Utley slid late and took out Tejada, who couldn’t make a throw. The Dodgers scored the tying run on the play.
Tejada was tended to by team trainers, who applied to a brace around his right knee before carting him off. The umpires ruled Utley safe because Tejada never touched the bag. The only problem is that Utley also never touched second base. Utley and Kendrick would come around to score when Adrian Gonzalez ripped a two-run double, breaking a 2-2 tie.
Utley’s slide was clearly dirty and hopefully Major League Baseball works to create a rule that keeps middle infielders out of harms way on these types of plays. Utley didn’t start his slide until he was parallel to the second base bag, and he never touched the base. The umpires could have justifiably called Utley for interference, which would have resulted in two outs (ending the inning) instead of zero.
