Major League Baseball's controversial slide rule explained

Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Bautista (19) interferes with Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe as he looks to turn a double play on a ball hit by Edwin Encarnacion, that ended the baseball game after review, in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. (Will Vragovic / The Tampa Bay Times via AP)

The rule change that cost the Toronto Blue Jays a victory against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday was introduced to protect fielders from being injured by a sliding runner.

The so-called "Chase Utley Rule" makes it illegal for a runner to deliberately interfere with an infielder at a base, during a slide on a double play. Runners who appear to deliberately interfere with the ball or a fielder while sliding on a possible double play are immediately called out, as is the runner who hit the ball, according to the new rule.

The MLB also adjusted its rules around what constitutes a legal slide, removing language that said "in the judgment of the umpire," and replacing it with a more concrete definition.

Under the new rulebook, a "bona fide slide" occurs when a player:

The changes were introduced ahead of this year's Major League Baseball season, in response to a nasty play during the 2015 playoffs between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. The Dodgers' Utley slid into second base with his hand out to touch the bag, but his body slid right past the bag and into Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada.

Tejada had been winding up to throw the ball to first base, but the collision with Utley sent him spinning off his feet. Tejada landed on his back and fractured his leg on the play. Utley, meanwhile, got up and ran on to third base, without touching second.

The Dodgers won the game 5-2, and the play touched off a firestorm of debate in the MLB.

On Tuesday, the Blue Jays ran afoul of the rule when Jose Bautista touched the Rays' Logan Forsythe with hand his while sliding into second. Forsythe had stepped to one side of the bag to make a throw on an attempted double play, but Bautista's hand clipped his back foot during the throw.

Video review concluded that Bautista did not slide directly into the bag, and that he illegally hindered Forsythe. The call ended the game at 3-2 Tampa.