Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was at the center of controversy on Monday, and manager Joe Maddon was not having it.
Rizzo slid into Pirates catcher Elias Diaz on a force play at home and appeared to go well out of the baseline to try to prevent the catcher from making an accurate throw to first. It worked — Diaz threw the ball into right field and the Cubs went up 5-0, and though the play was reviewed under MLB’s slide rules, it was upheld.
Here's the Rizzo slide at home #Cubs #Pirates pic.twitter.com/u9HHXmFmNr
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) May 28, 2018
Maddon defended his first baseman after the game, saying it was silly to have even needed a review.
Maddon was furious that Rizzo's slide was under review, stating it was a clean slide and thought it made Rizzo unfairly subject to boos from fans.
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) May 28, 2018
Rizzo himself claimed that some Pirates players had told him they had no issue with the slide.
Rizzo said a few Pirates players told him later that his slide was clean. Rizzo said he checked with Diaz to make sure he was OK.
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) May 28, 2018
The Cubs and Pirates have rather extensive history, so we’ll see what Pittsburgh’s players think. That said, it’s hard to see Maddon’s point here. Rizzo was a long way from home plate and the slide was dangerous at best.
