With the New York Mets beginning a four-game set in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, the question discussion around Chase Utley.
The New York Mets will begin a four game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium on Monday.
The Mets and the Dodgers squared off in the National League Division Series last year in a hard fought series won my the Mets in five games. In it, there was some bad blood mixed in between at Game 2 when Dodgers infielder Chase Utley slid into then Mets infielder Ruben Tejada at second base, thus breaking Ruben’s leg, ending his postseason.
Utley was initially suspended but later appealed and the suspension was overturned. He only had one-at-bat for the rest of the NLDS in Game 5 (flied out in the ninth inning).
Utley has been starting more this season at the leadoff spot and has been contributing, hitting close to .300. He will figure to start most of this four games vs. the Mets when New York will throw in righty starters after Steven Mats starts in the first game.
Ruben Tejada was released by the Mets during Spring Training and is playing for the St. Louis Cardinals so he’s no longer here. However, there has still been talk about retaliation when Utley comes to the plate.
You ask some of the Mets players and there’s not much talk about retaliation. David Wright said that retaliation already was settled when the Mets outlasted the Dodgers in five games. Lucas Duda said that they moved on from it.
The question is should the Mets still retaliate at Utley when he comes to the plate?
Utley is already expecting one and when he went golfing with Mets reliever (who’s in the minors now) Eric Goedell, the Dodgers infielder just mentioned to not peg him in the head.
I think David Wright is right in that the Mets got the biggest retaliation by beating the Dodgers in that series but I think a small message wouldn’t hurt.
You can hit Utley anywhere but not the head where something ugly can happen and suspension can occur among Mets pitchers. Do what Matt Harvey did when he plunked Utley in the back early on last season at Citi Field in retaliation to Chase (who was in the Philadelphia Phillies at that time) already having two hits, including a home run off the Dark Knight.
So not a big message but a small one would help and still show that the dirty slide was not appreciated. I think that would be the perfect way to settle this bad blood down. Besides just like Wright said, the Mets did the most important thing in that series and won it.
