Did Willson Contreras get away with a dirty play to hurt Ke’Bryan Hayes?

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras blocked the plate, but Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes still made the winning move. Hayes was injured at the game.

The celebration of the Bucs was less than energetichowever, as Hayes injured his shoulder while playing. The richest player in pirate history was in clear pain after attempting to bypass Contreras’ mark.

Unfortunately, the Cubs’ catcher was instantly right, and Hayes is no longer allowed to beat Contreras via the Buster-Posey rule. This rule is as follows:

“A runner must not run out of a direct line to the plate to initiate contact with the catcher or another player covering the plate.”

Easy enough to follow. While Hayes didn’t break that rule, he did risk himself with a creative but ultimately hard slide.

Pirates vs Cubs: Did Willson Contreras Injure Ke’Bryan Hayes?

No he did not. The right of way in this case belongs to Contreras and Hayes did everything he could to avoid him. It was legal play by both sides but an unfortunate end result. You can see Contreras clearly worried for Hayes after the game, knowing that neither player did anything wrong.

Thankfully, according to Shelton, Hayes seems fine. Although in pain immediately afterwards, he was able to walk off the field with the Pirate Training Staff and Shelton.

We will have more news on Hayes’ injury status as it becomes available.