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Jeff McNeil yelled at Rhys Hoskins last week after Hoskins slid in hard at second base — and discussion around the controversy is still making its way to MLB airwaves.
A similar play occurred during the Phillies-Nationals game on Saturday, although it had a different outcome.
In the sixth inning, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto hit a grounder down the third base line, and Bryce Harper was forced out at second.
Harper slid into second aggressively, forcing Nationals shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to shuffle to his right to make a throw to first.
Vargas didn’t yell at Harper for sliding aggressively, something Nationals analyst Kevin Frandsen, who was an infielder for nine years, noticed.
“Did he yell at Bryce for getting near him?” Frandsen asked. “That’s part of the game. I love that. When you see a second baseman flying across, jumping up a little bit, right? When you see that athleticism, that’s missed.”
Some felt that McNeil overreacted to Hoskins and thought the slide was a clean play.
McNeil fumbled the exchange as he got taken out by the first baseman.
While Vargas’ throw was late to get the double play, he smoothly moved across the bag to evade Harper’s slide and make a clean throw to first.
“I’m just trying to play baseball, right?” Hoskins said of McNeil. “We got a chance in the eighth with a runner on to tack on another run and the last thing I want to do is give them a clear lane to make a double play. McNeil took excuse to my slide, but I didn’t really think much of it, to be honest.
“I ended up hitting him, but that’s what happens with a slow developing play and I was trying to make sure he doesn’t turn a double play.”
As noted by Awful Announcing, Frandsen’s last year in the league was the year before the Chase Utley rule was implemented.
The rule requires runners to make a legitimate attempt at a slide into second base rather than just try and make contact with the infielder.
In McNeil’s defense, though, the two plays are different. Hoskins overslid into second, making contact with McNeil, while Harper slid directly into second, and Vargas avoided him.
Frandsen also may not have considered McNeil and Hoskins’ history.
The two have clashed before, and their previous history probably contributed to McNeil’s reaction.
Whatever the reasons, it seems Frandsen wasn’t on board with McNeil’s reaction and the ensuing drama, which saw both benches clearing but no fight.
Frandsen had a nine-year career that saw him play with the Giants, Nationals, Phillies and Angels.