Chase Utley was the most-hated man in New York after he slid and broke the leg of New York Mets infielder Ruben Tejada in the 2015 NLDS. The slide was dirty and caused not only a serious injury, but forced the MLB to implement a new slide rule to make sure slides like Utley’s didn’t happen again.
Mets fans were so upset with Utley, that the Dodgers second baseman’s family got death threats, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. McCullough reports Utley had to stay at a different hotel than his Dodgers teammates when they visited New York, to stay away from riotous Mets fans:
“That was the plan prior to anything,” Utley told The Los Angeles Times. “It was probably better off that way.”
I think it’s totally fair for Mets fans to be peeved with Utley and try to villainize him for breaking Tejada’s leg, but to send death threats to his family is absurd. Baseball is a sport and while some follow it like a religion, the players playing are human. Sending them death threats effects them on a human level. You don’t fight fire with fire. It’s classless and stupid. Thankfully, Utley or his family weren’t injured.
Those select Mets fans who had the audacity to send Utley’s family death threats aren’t fans. They’re criminals and psychos. Jeer Utley all you want, but once you send death threats to him and his family, you are crossing a line you can’t return from.
