/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46161052/GettyImages-470142708.0.jpg)
Here is the slide in question one more time.
Spikes high. Not clean. Bad slide. https://t.co/AKz1ug2Kly
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 18, 2015
Jon Heyman agrees it was dirty.
Just saw that slide by Lawrie. brutal. Baserunner can't touch catcher but he can decimate ss like that?
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) April 18, 2015
Sam Mellinger thinks it may not have been intentional, but it was reckless.
Brett Lawrie did a reckless thing. He did a reckless thing, sliding late with his right spike high and colliding into another man’s leg, taking that man out of the game with a play that eventually cleared both benches. So it was reckless, how the A’s third baseman slid into Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar in the seventh inning. It was dirty, too, because even with context, there is no need for Lawrie to come in with his spike high and off the base — directly into Escobar’s leg. But there is no reason to believe it was malicious, and there is an important distinction here.
Eric Hosmer agrees:
"I don’t think he meant anything by it, honestly,"
Brett Lawrie insists it he meant no harm.
Hope everyone knows I am playing this game hard .. I am never trying to hurt anyone in any type of situation , I'm playing for my teammates
— Brett Lawrie (@blawrie13) April 18, 2015
Alcides isn't buying it.
"In that situation, to me, that's a dirty slide." Alcides Escobar on the Lawrie slide. #Royals
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 18, 2015
Alcides Escobar says he believes Lawrie slide was a dirty one because it was a force play, not DP.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 18, 2015
Escobar "I read something last night in the paper. (Lawrie) said 'that's the game I play.' You know, everyone plays different man." #Royals
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 18, 2015
And it isn't the first time he's been hit hard by A's players.
Escobar says Sam Fuld did the same thing to him last year while playing for #Athletics.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 18, 2015
And Brett hasn't apologized.
Escobar says he hasn't heard from Lawrie at all & Lawrie didn't say anything to him last night. He says he doesn't know why - he would have.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 18, 2015
The injury doesn't seem as bad as originally thought.
Autograph Line Report: @alcidesescobar2 says he's "Bueno." Was carrying his son and appeared to be walking without a limp
— Maren Ludwig (@jaylaw22) April 18, 2015
In fact, he might play tonight.
Escobar passed all ligament strength tests and will test his knee pregame. If all good, he will start and lead off. #royals
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) April 18, 2015
But hopefully sanity prevails.
Escobar seemed to think he could play today but also seems to understand best to wait a day or two to recover
— Vahe Gregorian (@vgregorian) April 18, 2015
Escobar says he'd like to play, but it'll be hard to. Says Lawrie's spike got him in the ankle & their knees collided. #Royals
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 18, 2015