Marco Scutaro has always been a reserved guy, so it's no surprise that when it comes to Matt Holliday's questionable slide in Game 2 of the NLCS, the Giants second baseman is willing to chalk it up as a hard baseball play.
"Uhh, after I saw the replay, you know, that guy always plays hard," Scutaro said when asked whether he's upset with Holliday, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "I think he just kind of slid a little bit late. But I guess he wasn't trying to do that. He was coming full speed.
"But to be honest, I'm just happy that nothing real bad happened."
Scutaro, who was eventually removed in the sixth inning with a hip injury, called Holliday a "great guy," noting that the Cardinals outfielder wasn't trying to inflict any physical harm. Regardless of the intent, however, Holliday's slide drew the ire of many Giants fans who showered him with boos following the rather reckless attempt at breaking up a potential double play.
Holliday said Tuesday that he's not a dirty player, and made it clear that he was just trying to break up the double play. According to Scutaro, Holliday even tried to get in touch with him after the game, although the attempt was unsuccessful because Scutaro had already left to undergo an MRI.
When asked about what would happen if Holliday tried to talk to him before Wednesday's Game 3, Scutaro reportedly laughed and said, "I'd kick his ass," before then admitting that he'd talk to his NLCS foe.
Scutaro reportedly had the following exchange with reporters on Tuesday.
"Question: Does it tell you something about Holliday that he was checking in and calling you last night?
Scutaro: Yeah, that was kind of nice to hear from him after he tried to kick my ass. [Laughs.]
Question: When do you kick his ass?
Scutaro: Whenever he wants. He's only 6-4, 250."
It's good to see Scutaro has a good sense of humor about the whole situation. And while Scutaro's teammate and Game 3 starter Matt Cain said "if one gets away, one gets away," Scutaro only has one simple request from his pitching teammates: a complete-game, shutout win.
