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MLB drops suspension of Dodgers' Chase Utley for 'dirty' slide against Mets' Ruben Tejada

Dodgers' Chase Utley has suspension dropped by Major League Baseball for 'dirty' slide against Mets' Ruben Tejada in Game 2 of the NLDS.

Dodgers' Chase Utley slides hard into Mets' SS Ruben Tejada during Game 2 of the 2015 NLDS.
Dodgers' Chase Utley slides hard into Mets' SS Ruben Tejada during Game 2 of the 2015 NLDS.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, Major League Baseball has dropped the suspension of Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley after his break-up slide in Game 2 of the National League Division Series broke the leg of New York Metsshortstop Ruben Tejada.

Utley's "slide" saw him crash into Tejada and resulted in the Mets' infielder being carted off the field and unavailable for the rest of the postseason. Utley was handed a suspension from Major League Baseball and immediately appealed the decision last fall.

The slide was highly discussed and talked about among baseball fans on social media with many believing this was a "dirty" slide. Even MLB's Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre called Utley's slide a "rolling block...away from the base."

The slide, however, was not officially made illegal until this past month when MLB put into place a new rule for sliding into second base. This new rule will prohibit runners sliding into second base from kicking, shoving, or throwing their bodies into the infielder.