Dalton Rushing under fire again after reckless slide wipes out Dodgers rally

Dalton Rushing’s reputation for playing old school baseball added another chapter Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.The Dodgers rookie catcher was called for interference during the fifth inning of a game against the Pirates after attempting an aggressive takeout slide into shortstop Jared Triolo while trying to break up a double play.With nobody out and Rushing on first base, Alex Freeland hit a ground ball to the right side that appeared destined to become a double play Rushing veered well away from the bag and crashed into Triolo as the Pirates infielder attempted to complete the turn.Although Freeland initially beat the throw to first, umpires reviewed the play and ruled Rushing’s slide illegal under Major League Baseball’s “bona fide slide” rule, awarding Pittsburgh the double play.The play immediately reignited criticism surrounding Rushing, who has already found himself at the center of similar controversies this season.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Back in April, San Francisco infielder Luis Arraez criticized Rushing after a hard slide into Giants shortstop Willy Adames.“For me, that’s not good baseball.It’s not clean baseball,” Arraez said at the time.

“It’s dirty, but for me, this is baseball.”Rushing showed little concern for the backlash then and has not appeared interested in changing his approach.“I don’t really care,” Rushing said after the Giants incident.“I play the game hard, and I play with fire.

I just think some people make something out of nothing.”That mentality was on display again Tuesday.While older generations of baseball fans might view the play as a throwback takeout slide, MLB’s rules changed in 2016 following Chase Utley’s infamous postseason collision with Ruben Tejada.Under th...