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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Todd-O]

Nick should have gone feet first into home plate. If K had been in the way, so be it... But, IMO, he would have scored feet first.

[OFFNY]

/
If there were less than 2 outs, I would have been highly pissed at Nick for trying to score on that play. There were 2 outs though, so I didn't have a problem with him gambling. It was a pretty high-risk gamble, because the ball did not get very far away from the catcher ....... but with 2 outs, he forced the issue, making the Yankee catcher and pitcher both execute the handling of the passed ball without choking, and they did.

It was somewhat similar to tagging up from 3rd base on a shallow fly ball with two outs, and making the outfielder make a good throw, as well as making the catcher handle said throw and applying the tag successfully.

[wpetraska]

I can't believe how many people wanted Markakis to just derail Kuroda at the plate. Good lord. Catchers have padding, a mask, etc. If he would have plowed into Kuroda, I would have considered that dirty as hell. Yes, a run is a run and this is baseball but there are unwritten rules.

Still didn't stop me from screaming obscenities in my Xterra while listening on XM. I finally watched the slide and I agree that Markakis needs to stop sliding headfirst.

[Slappy]

I can't believe how many people wanted Markakis to just derail Kuroda at the plate. Good lord. Catchers have padding, a mask, etc. If he would have plowed into Kuroda, I would have considered that dirty as hell. Yes, a run is a run and this is baseball but there are unwritten rules.

Still didn't stop me from screaming obscenities in my Xterra while listening on XM. I finally watched the slide and I agree that Markakis needs to stop sliding headfirst.

If you are blocking the plate, you are fair game.