I’ve spoken for a long time about how ridiculous it was that baserunners could crash into catchers instead of sliding into home, and how catchers could block the plate instead of giving the runner access, both of which resulted in dangerous collisions. Fortunately, baseball changed the rules to try to prevent this.
I’ve also spoken about the fact that runners going into second base should have to slide into the base, and not try to take out the pivot man on the double-play attempt. This is dangerous, as the pivot man is vulnerable, and if his leg is planted, this can result in a serious injury. This is exactly what happened tonight in the Dodgers-Mets playoff game. The runner made NO ATTEMPT to slide into the base, went out of the baseline to take out the fielder, and since the fielder’s leg was planted, he was injured and had to be taken off on a cart after they put an inflatable cast on him. He has a fractured right fibula. How can it possibly be okay to try to take out a fielder instead of sliding into the base? Perhaps baseball will finally see the light on this, too, and change the rules.