Former New York Mets star Carlos Beltran was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his fourth attempt earlier this year. However, the Mets icon is not a “big fan” of former Philadelphia Phillies infielder Chase Utley.
Utley was renowned for his aggressive play, especially on the basepaths, during his illustrious career. Beltran criticized the Phillies legend for his “dirty” plays in an interview with SNY Mets.
“You know what, I think he had a great career, not a big fan,” Beltran said. “In the game of baseball, you can play hard. But when you play dirty, it’s a different element.”
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MLB fans reacted to the Mets icon’s comments on Utley.
“A cheater talking about someone playing dirty. Okay.”
“I think I heard a couple trashcan bangs in the background letting him know what question was coming next.”
“Keep your opinion! Your name is synonymous with CHEATER. Go Phillies.”
“Talking about playing dirty… maybe Beltran should look in the mirror…. Specifically the rear view mirror.. maybe to 2017… just a thought!”
“Cheating all the way to a chip is fine but sliding hard to break up a double play in the postseason isnt! Thanks Carlos.”
Beltran faced scrutiny for his role in the Houston Astros‘ sign-stealing scandal during their run through to the 2017 World Series. The former All-Star slugger was explicitly named in the commissioner’s report of the investigation.
He stepped down from his role as the Mets manager in January 2020 amid the fallout from the MLB report.
Mets legend Carlos Beltran admitted playing “hard” amid Chase Utley’s criticism
While Carlos Beltran criticized Chase Utley’s aggressive play on the basepaths, the former Mets slugger said he always tried to avoid collisions with catchers despite playing “hard.”
“I played hard, but I tried not to hurt nobody,” Beltran said. “There were times at home plate where I had the catcher in front of me for me to kill the catcher. But my goal is not to kill the catcher, my goal is to try to score the run.
“If you’re trying to break up a double play, then slide into the bag. And if you want to pass through the bag, make sure you stay holding the bag. But when you change your route or your path to hit somebody, that’s not clean.”
In Game 2 of the 2015 NLDS, Utley slid into Mets shortstop Rubén Tejada to break up a double play. Utley’s late slide fractured Tejada’s leg. MLB introduced the “Chase Utley Rule” to protect middle infielders following the controversial play.
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash