Major League Baseball updated its rules about sliding into second base prior to this season, and the change included the elimination of what had become known as the "neighborhood play." On Friday, the Oakland A's got the chance to take advantage of this new rule, so let's take a moment to look at what happened.
The neighborhood play existed to make it safer for middle infielders to turn double plays. Rather than standing directly on second base while receiving the throw from his teammate, the fielder could simply have his feet "in the neighborhood" of the bag. This made it easier to get out of the way quickly and avoid the slide of the oncoming runner.