There was only one thing New York Mets wanted more than a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their National League Division Series game last night.
They didn't get it.
Oh, they got the win, hammering the Dodgers 13-7 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
But what they really wanted was former Phillie Chase Utley.
It's hard to blame them.
I always liked Utley. I always appreciated the way he played the game.
But there's no way to look at the nasty take-out slide he used in Game Two of the series on Mets' shortstop Ruben Tejada without wincing. The cross-body block resulted in a broken leg for Tejada, putting him on the shelf for the rest of the series.
National League baseball suspended Utley for two games, but he appealed the suspension and his case has not been heard yet, meaning he was in uniform and available last night.
He did not play in the game, much to the chagrin of the New York crowd.
They booed Utley lustily during the introductions, then chanted "We Want Utley" during the game.
I believe Utley when he says he did not intend to injure Tejada. Yes, this is part of what we loved about Utley and the way he played the game all those years as a Phillie.
But there's no escaping the reality of the takeout slide. It was a dirty play.
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