Quote:
Originally Posted by Manny A
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Okay . . .. I did not realize that the intent of the home plate collision rule was only to avoid collisions on tag plays, not on force plays.
Look at the play again at post #1. Catcher Martin was blocking runner Mesoraco's pathway to the plate before the throw was released. If Mesoraco had stayed up, rather than slide, he might have both collided with Martin and touched home before the catch. Either player might then have been injured. Is MLB saying injuries on force plays are acceptable, just not on tag plays?
I predict that before the year is out, a hard collision will occur at the plate on a force play. And within three years, a player will go on the DL as a result of such a collision.
They are not done refining this rule.