Chase Utley expects hostile Mets fans still upset with playoff slide

Ruben Tejada doesn’t play for the New York Mets any more, but that isn’t likely to stop Mets fans from defending his honor Friday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers return to town for the first time since the 2015 National League Division Series.

During Game 2 of that playoff series, Tejada, the Mets’ former shortstop, suffered a fractured fibula of his lower right leg when Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley took him out with a slide into second base.

Utley is expected to be in the lineup Friday in New York for the first time since the incident and he told the Los Angeles Times this week, he is prepared for a hostile greeting from fans and maybe even a beanball from a Mets pitcher.Utley was with the Dodgers for Games 3 and 4 in the playoff series in New York last season, but he did not play. He said his family received death threats during the series in October.

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The slide that injured Tejada (now with St. Louis), along with others of a similar nature that resulted in injuries, led MLB to adopt what is sometimes referred to as the Chase Utley rule during the offseason. The rule limits how base runners can slide into second base. It prohibits players from going out of their way to try to affect a throw by a second baseman or shortstop in an effort to thwart a double play, but it did not make making contact with fielders while sliding into second illegal.

Utley always has said he never intended to injure Tejada, but that didn't stop MLB from suspending him for two games. Utley appealed the suspension, which was lifted in the offseason after the rule was changed.

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It would be a bit ridiculous for the Mets to try to take some measure of revenge against Utley now, considering Tejada is no longer on the roster and they had the opportunity to do it earlier this season when the teams met in Los Angeles and did not. Hopefully, the Mets allow the incident to fade into history instead of bringing it all back to the surface again.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo