Chase Utley ‘breaks a leg’- LITERALLY- to alter the course of the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers

Chase Utley ‘breaks a leg’- LITERALLY- to alter the course of the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers

Chase Utley and Ruben Tejada IMAGO / UPI Photo

Altering the course of history is not an easy task- but Chase Utley managed to do exactly that in 2015. Utley’s year with the Dodgers ended in controversy to say the least, but the team ended up walking away with a result they might not have expected.

A game against the New York Mets took a turn for the worse- or the better- as Utley involved himself in some hard sliding. It certainly did end up ending Ruben Tejada’s career. Utley went at a high speed towards the shortstop, possibly ending his career right there and then.

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Utley ended up colliding into Tejada while running into third and catastrophe hit. The 36-year-old ended up breaking his leg after Utley crashed into him- hard. “I was trying to put a body on him,” Utley said later on, “to try to break up the double play.” The affect that this one play had on the entire season however is the most notable.

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ could have survived the series if not for Chase Utley?

Chase Utley and Ruben Tejada IMAGO / UPI Photo
Chase Utley and Ruben Tejada IMAGO / UPI Photo

Not only did the play change the game, but it also altered the entire course of the Series in 2015. The Dodgers, who were inches away from falling 2 behind in the best 5 of the National League Division Series, ended up taking a 5-2 win against the Mets. Credits must be given to Zack Greinke’s right arm and Adrian Gonzalez’s go-ahead two-run double.

However, the biggest attraction of the night was Chase Utley. “That changed the momentum of the game right there,” Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager said. However, in Utley’s defence, he had one job at that very moment- to break up the double play. MLB did end up dropping a two game suspension on the player which was later overturned.

What Chase Utley had done was completely legal when checked by the umpires on the replay. As the Dodgers won the game it left a lasting impact on that game- all smiles and celebrations in one clubhouse, and distaste in the other. “I guess it really depends on who you’re talking to,” said Utley, with the Series tied.

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