“I felt better after John told me Dustin left the ballpark under his own power,” said Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer. “I completely understand John’s viewpoint with a key player getting hurt, but the rule is very specific that the fielder has to be trying to turn the double play and that wasn’t the case in this situation.”

Why wouldn’t he be? Torre’s a Hall of Fame manager, and he’s seen and been through every situation imaginable, including the one in which Dustin Pedroia was spiked by incoming runner Manny Machado in the eighth inning of the Red Sox’ 2-0 loss to the Orioles on Friday night.


Going by the letter of the law, Torre is right. But it just doesn’t seem right that Machado’s slide, whether intentional or not, didn’t warrant some type of punishment. Farrell wanted the umpires to rule a double play, but there was no evidence that Pedroia was about to turn the double play. Anyway, how could Pedroia have turned a double play? Machado was on him, spiking him and then trying to catch him before he fell to the ground.

The more you watch it on replay, the more you come to the conclusion it wasn’t intentional. It was sloppy and awkward, which is unusual for an elite player such as Machado. But when he hit the bag his leg came up, and whether it’s intentional or not intentional, there needs to be a rule for that. As Farrell stated the last two days, if this rule doesn’t cover something like that, what good is it?

Torre acknowledged that his team of consultants on MLB’s rules committee have discussed this scenario before, but he said it’s been difficult to find the right way to enforce it.


Torre said that he and his consultants try to think of every scenario possible, but then a situation like this happens and it becomes something else the committee needs to consider.

The rule: “If a runner does not engage in a bona fide slide, and initiates (or attempts to make) contact with the fielder for the purpose of breaking up a double play, he should be called for interference under this Rule 6.01.” A “bona fide slide” for purposes of Rule 6.01 occurs when the runner: (1) begins his slide (i.e., makes contact with the ground) before reaching the base; (2) is able and attempts to reach the base with his hand or foot; (3) is able and attempts to remain on the base (except home plate) after completion of the slide; and (4) slides within reach of the base without changing his pathway for the purpose of initiating contact with a fielder.

“A runner who engages in a “bona fide slide” shall not be called for interference under this Rule 6.01, even in cases where the runner makes contact with the fielder as a consequence of a permissible slide. In addition, interference shall not be called where a runner’s contact with the fielder was caused by the fielder being positioned in (or moving into) the runner’s legal pathway to the base. Notwithstanding the above, a slide shall not be a “bona fide slide” if a runner engages in a “roll block,” or intentionally initiates (or attempts to initiate) contact with the fielder by elevating and kicking his leg above the fielder’s knee or throwing his arm or his upper body. If the umpire determines that the runner violated this Rule 6.01(j), the umpire shall declare both the runner and batter-runner out. Note, however, that if the runner has already been put out then the runner on whom the defense was attempting to make a play shall be declared out.”


There’s a lot there, and it is rather confusing.

The word “intentionally” is key here, but my belief is it shouldn’t matter if it’s intentional or unintentional. The fact is, it happened. Machado’s leg was up and it made contact with Pedroia behind the knee. But there are so many interpretations and the one that makes sense to the folks who wrote the rule is that it starts with the intent of the fielder to turn a double play.

Farrell talked about his conversation with Torre.

“Clearly there’s a difference of opinion on how that rule is interpreted and certainly the slide. Bottom line is this: If that slide last night was not deemed illegal, we should just get rid of the rule,” Farrell said.

Amen to that. There are so many rules. As soon as a player gets hurt there’s a rule. Buster Posey’s awful plate collision brought forth the catcher collision rule. Chase Utley’s take-out slide of Ruben Tejada in Game 2 of the 2015 NLDS, breaking Tejada’s leg, brought on the rule governing second-base slides.


The rule was intended to protect defenseless infielders.

“As I said there’s got to be a deliberate attempt to turn a double play,” Farrell said. “I don’t know how you can when you have someone laying on your left leg on the left-field side of second base. That was an extremely late slide. In my view an illegal slide.”

Farrell didn’t win the argument, but believe me, he got Torre thinking about what’s next.

“He can understand the feeling and trying to protect our players,” Farrell said. “We have a player that’s not in the lineup tonight as a result of the slide, but [Torre] sided with the thought that there was no attempt to turn the double play. Basically he was saying [Pedroia] received the throw as a would-be first baseman. Which if that were the case, his left leg would be the one extended toward the throw. Pedey is a guy who feels like he can turn any double play. I think he was set up in the position to do just that.”

It’s the old “you say tomato, I say tomato routine.”

For me, let’s call the whole rule off.