As Chase Utley left first base headed for an appointment with baseball destiny – or what many Mets fans would characterize as “infamy”, I doubt he intended “The Slide” to cause a broken leg. However, that’s how fast a play at the major league level happens, and that’s how hard they play the game up there.
On his way to second base Utley wasn’t breaking things down with the benefit of multiple slow-motion camera angles. He was running on pure baseball instinct and playoff adrenaline. At that point in time Utley saw only one job before him – and everyone from his teammates in the dugout to living rooms and sportsbars across L.