I can hear my Little League coach screaming now – “If an infielder and outfielder are facing each other on a pop fly, it’s the outfielder’s ball all the way. If the infielder has his back to the outfielder on a pop fly, it’s the infielder’s ball all the way.”

It’s one of baseball’s oldest Golden Rules and there’s a reason for it – to prevent exactly what happened in Thursday night’s unimportant spring training Freeway Series opener between the Dodgers and Angels at Anaheim Stadium – a violent collision between All-Star Dodgers second baseman Howie Kendrick and All-Star right fielder Yasiel Puig that took Puig out of the game.

Oh sure, there are exceptions to this so-called Golden Rule – instances when the outfielder or infielder has absolutely no chance whatsoever to make the catch – but in this instance, Puig had a play and actually slowed down when he realized that Kendrick wasn’t going to yield to him, as he should have – at least according to my Little League coach.

It’s rather obvious who was in a better position to catch this routine fly ball – just as the Golden Rule suggests. (Video captures courtesy of SportsNet LA)

The result was Kendrick crashing into the right side of Puig’s jaw and neck with his left arm and allowing an eventual game-winning gift triple for reigning AL MVP Mike Trout on what Vin Scully repeatedly called “a routine fly ball.”

Puig is extremely fortunate that Kendrick avoided elbowing him in the face.

Thankfully, Puig was not seriously hurt and it was later reported that Dodgers manager Don Mattingly’s decision to take him out of the game was precautionary only.

After Dodgers Vice President of Medical Services Stan Conte gave Puig a cursory concussion test, Puig was taken out of the game for “precautionary reasons.”

The point here is not to cast blame or criticize either Kendrick or Puig. In the heat of battle, the competitive forces and the urgency of the situation often throws even the simplest of calm thinking out the window and I can assure you that no one felt worse about this miscommunication than Howie Kendrick. And because this was the first time that Kendrick and Puig have been in this short fly ball to right situation, Howie most certainly gets a pass. But there is absolutely zero doubt whatsoever that this exact situation will come up again – and probably often – during the regular season. As such, the pair (and the Dodgers coaching staff) have exactly two more spring training games in which to work something out to avoid a repeat of this potentially devastating situation.

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(Author’s Note: Anyone who has watched Yasiel Puig play for any period of time knows that he does not call for the ball in the traditional manner but rather whistles to indicate that he has the ball. There is no mistaking Puig’s whistle, which can shatter glass (and ear drums). This is perhaps something that Howie Kendrick has yet to condition himself to but would be well advised to do so or the results could be career-ending for someone).