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Acce s the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Ten years later, Chase Utley is getting candid about the play that made him infamous in Flushing. Utley, the former Phillies and Dodgers second baseman, joined Barstool Sports Pardon My Take on Wednesday when he was asked about his 2015 NLDS Game 2 slide . Utley who was playing with Los Angeles during the series expre sed some regrets about how the whole situation played out in the Dodgers 5-2 win. Utley said on the show that he went in hard at second base in that fateful seventh inning, but he had no intention to hurt Tejada, whom Utley expected to jump when he caught the ball at the second base bag off a feed from Daniel Murphy. Instead, Tejada turned and didnt get high enough, leading to the violent collision that knocked Tejada out for the rest of the postseason. Explore More Ruben Tejada is kicked upside down as Chase Utley of the Dodgers slides into him reaching for second. Tejada is taken out of the game by stretcher in the seventh inning of Los Angeles 5- Juancho Hernangomez Jersey 2 Game 2 win over the Mets. Anthony J. Causi There was zero intention to F anybody up on that play, Utley said. Ive always gone in hard, and that was no different. Obviously, the outcome was different than other slides that Ive had. I didnt anticipate actually hitting him nearly as hard as I did. I was anticipating him jumping up in the air because of the way it unfolded, and as you can imagine, its happening pretty quick. As he took the feed, Im thinking, OK, hes going to hit the bag, get up off his feet, and try to throw it. Im trying to slide a little bit with my body higher so I can clip a leg and get his throw off. But instead, he spun, which I was definitely not anticipating. Utley then said he didnt feel great about it all shook out, going as far to say he felt terrible about the situation. And looking back on it, I didnt feel good about it, Utley said. I actually felt terrible about it. I had no intention of hurting him whatsoever. Ruben Tejada grimaces as he is attended to after injuring his leg after getting upended by Chase Utley in the seventh inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post The six-time All-Star said he attempted to apologize to Tejada, who apparently wanted no part in that, which Utley said made total sense. Utley was initially suspended two games by MLB, but appealed and was allowed to remain active in the series, getting booed introductions before one more at-bat in Game 5, a Mets series-clinching win. One of our resident Mets fans confronted Chase Utley about his infamous slide Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) The league eventually dropped the suspension entirely but changed the rules to make it clear about how a runner should slide into second base. Not long after in 2016, the Mets Noah Syndergaard threw behind Utley when the two teams met in Queens the following season, leading to a viral ejection and argument from then-New York skipper Terry Collins. Utley, at the end of his response, said he would do things differently now knowing the outcome for Tejada, who played just 83 more big league games. If I could go back in time and knowing the outcome that happened, of course I wouldve done it differently, Utley said. I wouldve realized that hes not going to jump, hes going to spin, and I couldve disrupted his throw differently. Malik Sealy Jersey
