Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo had a phone call with MLB’s chief baseball officer Joe Torre about last night’s play at home plate. According to Twitter–in San Diego at least–Rizzo took a “cheap shot” and should have been suspended and/or fined. From the side of Chicago, it was a clean play, and everyone should move on. While there may be some ambiguity to the rule, Torre chose not to discipline Rizzo. And cue the angry Padres’ fans.
I’ll admit, the rule was put in place to protect the catcher from serious injury. Rizzo did appear to drift towards the inside of the baseline when making contact with Hedges.