Should Nick have plowed Kuroda at home plate?

[srock]

I was harsh on Pie last year when he failed to take out Joba at home plate.

I am just as harsh on Markakis tonight. It doesn't matter whom is blocking the plate, if your chances of scoring are increased, you drop a shoulder and take him out.

It's not malicious if they put themselves in position to be hit, its just the way the game is played.

[Jagwar]

Kuroda was a few feet up the line, and Markakis should have smacked him.

[Saintbird]

I'm not interested in our players trying to protect the Yankees.

Take him out.

[andrewochs615]

Neither he should have stayed at 3rd base.

[jofalfa]

Yup I wasn't thrilled he took off in the first place. But if you're gonna go, go all out and plow him over.

[LookitsPuck]

If you're going to run on a close play, you should make that close play hard to judge. You most definitely plow into the pitcher. Drop that shoulder and drive that glove into him. We're not in the business of being friends. A play at the plate is a play at the place...and he has the ball. Destroy him.

[CA-ORIOLE]

I bet he would have dropped the ball if he did plow him.

[Spoonless]

I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I've never been a fan of the whole collision-at-the-plate business.

[TGO]

It's asking a lot of a pitcher to get to the plate, catch the ball, stop and get the glove down to make a tag, so I actually don't mind that he slid. He could have gotten a little wider to the inside, but it's a bang-bang play and you have a split second to make the decision. I wouldn't have minded if he took him out, either, though.

[socalbirdfan]

Yup I wasn't thrilled he took off in the first place. But if you're gonna go, go all out and plow him over.

Yes. At the very least, he definitely needs to stop sliding headfirst into home. Somebody send him video of Kirk Gibson sliding into any base. He struck fear into people when they knew he was coming into a base. In fact, give it to Jones, too. They both need to attend sliding school.

[eddie83]

Not a pitcher, catcher is different.

[Satyr3206]

This isn't flag baseball. Knock him down and score the run.

[russ snyder]

I think he should have slid straight into Kuroda's feet. It's tough for the pitcher to catch the ball while his feet are being taken out from under him. I agree, with an earlier poster, Nick should not have slid head first into the plate in this situation. Feet first would have created more havoc. I'm not a huge fan of bowling over a defenseless pitcher. Upending him is a different story.

[Jurczak]

I'm honestly more worried about Nick getting banged up initiating severe contact. All it would take is a knee or a foot or an elbow hitting him in the wrong place in the abdomen or the shoulder or his elbow and he could end up on the DL unnecessarily. A catcher will get in the right position and the contact might not be as severe. Bowling over a pitcher is going to be more awkward and could lead to a bizarre injury for Nick as easily as for Kuroda.

[Satyr3206]

I'm honestly more worried about Nick getting banged up initiating severe contact. All it would take is a knee or a foot or an elbow hitting him in the wrong place in the abdomen or the shoulder or his elbow and he could end up on the DL unnecessarily. A catcher will get in the right position and the contact might not be as severe. Bowling over a pitcher is going to be more awkward and could lead to a bizarre injury for Nick as easily as for Kuroda.

Then maybe he should play volleyball or tiddlywinks. He's a baseball player and should act like it.