The slide looked dirty, at least to some, but it probably wasn't. Regardless of the intent, Jordy Mercer of the Pirates sustained what appeared to be a serious injury to his left leg in the second inning Sunday after Carlos Gomez of the Brewers slid hard in order to break up a double play.
Watch:
If you were watching the game and communicating on Twitter at the time, you might have noticed vitriol for Gomez. Many fans (and some media) called Gomez, and the slide, "dirty," or words to that effect. Others were, somewhat paradoxically, calling for Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke to hit Gomez with a purpose pitch at the next opportunity (which did not happen).
However, the collective emotional reaction of many Pirates fans was noted by seminal Pirates blogger Pat Lackey:
The first thing that sticks out: The slide happened 10 feet from the second-base bag. With Gomez at first and Adam Lind at-bat, the Pirates went into a defensive shift, with Mercer playing to the right of second base. Lind hit a grounder to second and Mercer wandered toward Gomez for an apparent tag/double-play attempt. With Mercer in his path, Gomez went into a hard slide, apparently, to reduce a chance of a double play being turned. Mercer reached down for a tag, but his left leg was caught in the dirt with Gomez using his own legs to take him out. No throw to first was made, and Mercer was on the floor in apparent pain. Shortly thereafter, an athletic trainer's cart came out, and medical staff took Mercer away.
The Pirates broadcast says it's a "lower" left leg injury -- not, apparently, the knee. It still could be serious, but no knee almost always is better.
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