Giants’ Bochy reacts to Maddon’s comments on Posey

San Francisco Giants' manager Bruce Bochy during 3-2 loss to Cincinnati Reds during MLB game at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 11, 2017. San Francisco Giants' manager Bruce Bochy during 3-2 loss to Cincinnati Reds during MLB game at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 11, 2017. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Giants’ Bochy reacts to Maddon’s comments on Posey 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

ATLANTA — It has been six years, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon cited Buster Posey’s season-ending collision in 2011 when defending Anthony Rizzo for his part in a collision at the plate in Monday night’s Cubs-Padres game.

A day after Rizzo crashed into Padres catcher Austin Hedges, Maddon reiterated that he’s not in favor of Rule 7.13, which was put in place to decrease collisions and protect catchers.

“I’m really confused by why it gained so much attention only except for the fact that Buster Posey got hurt a couple years ago,” Maddon said Tuesday on a Chicago radio station. “Other than that, if it was a third-string catcher for the Atlanta Braves that got hurt three years ago, this (rule) wouldn’t even be in existence.”

According to the rule, “A runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher.”

Recommended Video:

“Again,” Maddon said in an interview on 670 the Score, referring to the Posey collision, “it’s all precipitated by one play that happened several years ago that to me was just bad technique on the part of the catcher, so that’s where I get really flustered by this conversation, because to me it should not even exist.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy was relayed Maddon’s comments.

Without mentioning Maddon’s name, Bochy said, “I don’t really care to visit it. I don’t. Anybody who goes into that, they don’t know what they’re talking about where Buster was at on that play.”

After Posey got knocked over by the Marlins’ Scott Cousins in a gruesome collision and suffered major ankle and leg injuries, Bochy spoke out in favor of a rule to protect catchers, as did Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, a former catcher whose career was cut short by concussions.

At the time, Bochy stressed he wasn’t simply backing Posey but all catchers and cited Gary Bennett, a catcher he managed in San Diego who was plowed over in 2003 by the Dodgers’ Brian Jordan, who previously played in the NFL.

“I’m all for it, and I think you should be able to run into the first baseman, second baseman and third baseman, too,” said Bochy, sarcastically. “I think that’ll really make this game interesting. What’s the difference? The catcher’s gear is not to protect him from a collision. It’s to protect him from foul tips.”

“I wish the guys who make these comments were standing there when Todd Greene got hurt and say the same thing.”

Greene, a Giants catcher in 2006, was knocked over by Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder and suffered a shoulder injury that cut short his career.

Padres manager Andy Green called Rizzo’s slide a “cheap shot.” Rizzo was out trying to score on Kris Bryant’s flyball, and Green suggested Rizzo deviated from his path to the plate on purpose to dislodge the ball from Hedges’ grasp.

“I’m not saying (Rizzo) is a dirty player at all,” Green said. “Nobody is saying that. But he clearly deviated from the path to hit our catcher.”

On Tuesday, MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre told Rizzo he violated the home-plate collision rule but wouldn’t be disciplined. The rule, enacted before the 2014 season, states a catcher cannot block the path of a runner unless he has possession of the ball, and a runner can be called out if he deviates from his path, even if the catcher drops the ball.

John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey