Washington Nationals: Takeaways From 5-4 Loss To Tigers

 Thoughts On Controversial Slide In 6^th Inning

The one play that stood out about this game occurred in the top of the sixth. The Tigers had the bases loaded with one out in a 3-3 game when Andrew Romine hit a groundball to second. The Nats got the out at second, but Romine beat the throw to first to allow Detroit to take the lead.

Once the play was over, the Washington Nationals decided to challenge and it looked like they would win the challenge since Anthony Gose didn’t touch the base or made an effort to touch the base. However, the call stood and here was the explanation given by the MLB:

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The rule, which is now known as the Chase Utley rule after last year’s NLDS, has been difficult to figure out so far this year. While I don’t think the Nats would’ve turned the double play anyway, it was still obvious that Gose was not going for the base on the slide.

Plus, if you go by what the Nats were saying after the game, it was clear that what they were told early in the season was different than the explanation that Major League Baseball gave them back in spring:

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While it wasn’t the sole reason the Nats lost the game, it still led to Detroit scoring two runs in the sixth rather than an inning-ending double play. It will be interesting to watch this season how the Utley rule is enforced, especially if it plays a factor when it comes time for the postseason.