Saturday, April 17, 2021

Why it is perfectly fine to use Instant Reply in Baseball to see if a Baserunner loses contact with the base on a slide.

Some knowledgeable baseball people (such as Cleveland Indians Radio announcer Tom Hamilton) think it is nit picking to use Instant Replay to see if the baserunner was able to keep contact with the base during and after their slide. 
Here is what is being left out of the MLB Instant Replay Review discussion about whether or not the baserunner has maintained contact with the base. The reason the baserunner is unable to keep contact with the base is they delay their slide an extra half step so they carry more speed into the base thus having a better chance of beating the throw.

I recall one year both Grady Sizemore and Shin Soo Choo made some late, late slides into second base. I wonder if those late slides were the precursor to the knee injuries that Grady Sizemore would suffer the following season or the season after.

I recall seeing Shin Soo Choo make one slide where he was literally 3 to 4 feet from the bag when he started his slide. Scary stuff to watch. If MLB loosens the rules on sliding late by not allowing Instant Replay to review if a ballplayer has lost contact with the base, they could be encouraging more late sliding which inevitably could lead to future knee injuries.

I agree using slow motion to see if a player maintains contact with the bag is somewhat of a ticky tack procedure, but teaching players to maintain contact with the bag at all times once they touch the bag is probably preventing future knee injuries by preventing late slides.




Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

No comments:

Post a Comment