KC Royals: Was Brett Lawrie Slide Into Escobar Really Dirty?

Apr 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar (2) lays on the ground after getting hurt on a play at second, as he is attended by a trainer against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

With the KC Royals beginning a three game set in Oakland this weekend, the Brett Lawrie slide that injured Alcides Escobar two months ago will, inevitably, be on both team’s minds.

Will the Kansas City Royals and Oakland A’s endure another ugly weekend of beanballs, brawls, and bitter words?

Who knows? Which, of course, is a big reason we watch.

WE JUST DON’T KNOW.

Back in April, Brett Lawrie’s spikes-high slide into Alcides Escobar’s ankle touched off multiple bench-clearing brawls. KC Royals pitchers Yordano Ventura and Kelvin Herrera, two pitchers who throw north of 100 miles per hour, launched beanballs at Lawrie on successive days.

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So with the Royals/A’s tiff now back in the baseball world’s consciousness, it’s a good time to revisit the issue: Was Brett Lawrie’s Slide Dirty?

ESPN.com’s Tim Kurkjian wrote a fantastic piece on the issue of what makes a dirty slide. Of course, the Lawrie incident formed a big part of the story, and Kurkjian found that opinions among players and coaches were divided about the Lawrie/Escobar collision.

Kurkjian, however, discovered a lot of interesting information that applies to this question.

Next: Today's Players Don't Know How To Slide