Ex-Phillie Utley Appeals Suspension

During his long tenure with the Phillies, Chase Utley had more than his fair share of postseason heroics, especially in the championship season of 2008. Now, with his new team, Utley has earned a whole new kind of postseason notoriety.

The second baseman, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, slid hard into second base during the second inning of Monday's National League Division Series Game 2 between the Dodgers and the New York Mets. The slide caused an injury to Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada, breaking Tejada's leg and putting him out of action for the rest of the postseason.

Utley was not ejected from the game, but the hard slide led to a significant outcry- including a petition that drew 9,000 signatures calling for a suspension- and Sunday night Major League Baseball announced that Utley would indeed be suspended for the third and fourth games of the best-of-5 series. The series is currently tied 1-1 after the Mets won the first game and the Dodgers the second.

The Dodgers announced that Utley has appealed the suspension, on the grounds that the slide was within the rules, and that the team stands behind him in doing so. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the appeal may not be heard Monday, meaning that Utley would be available to play in Game 3 in New York.

The 36-year-old Utley, a member of the Phillies organization since he was drafted in 1997, was traded to the Dodgers on August 19.