In the wake of Chase Utley's controversial slide, MLB fans attention have shifted once again to an arguably similar slide that Chris Coghlan committed a few weeks ago.
The Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman's slide has sparked a debate in the baseball world, with fans and the media arguing about its legality, and ultimately led to Utley's two-game suspension by MLB officials. Utley's move had resulted to New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada's leg injury. Three weeks ago, Cubs left fielder Chris Coghlan's slide also caused the same injury to Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jung Ho Kang, damaging the Pirates' World Series aspirations.
Nevertheless, Coghlan firmly stands behind the legality of his slide and mentioned that he has "no remorse" about it. "But my slide was not dirty, and it's completely legal. So I have no remorse over the slide. I just wish he hadn't gotten hurt. I wish he would have jumped over me or gotten out of the way," he told USA Today on Sunday.
He added that he has been receiving death threats since the incident. "I got a bunch of death threats from Korean people everywhere. It's just tough to deal with. People just don't understand. I get it as a fan. You're a fan of a player, you never want to see someone get hurt, especially when you have a whole nation behind you," Coghlan explained.
However, the difference between Utley's and Coghlan's plays may lie in the perception of the opposition, CubbiesCrib.com noted. The Pittsburgh Pirates, even Kang himself, said that it was indeed a clean slide and that there was no intent on Coghlan's part to injure the Pirates shortstop. They also felt that the threats were really severe that Kang and his lawyer thought it is necessary to provide a statement to clear misconceptions about Coghlan.
Meanwhile, another Cubs player has made history on Monday night. Right fielder Jorge Soler has become the first player in major league history to successfully reach base in the first nine postseason plate appearances of his career. On two of those occasions, Soler had circled all the way around the bases, managing to hit a two-run homer against St. Louis Cardinals' Adam Wainwright in the sixth inning.
"I've got tremendous confidence right now. I'm seeing the ball really well, just trying to get on base and help the team win," Soler told the Chicago Sun-Times through bench coach and translator Dave Martinez. With Soler's help, the Chicago Cubs won 8-4 to take a 3-1 series lead, increasing their odds of advancing to the NLCS.
