Utley homered against the Phillies in his first game. I know he is not hitting right now the way he hit in his prime but I guarantee they are playing well because he has something to do with it. On a very talented Dodger team, Utley serves as the experienced veteran who is there to set the tone and share his wealth of baseball knowledge.
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Rays 15, Padres 1: The Rays’ offense goes buckwild, led by a four-RBI day from Luke Maile. Los Angeles began play Tuesday night just a half-game out of the NL West lead now held by San Francisco. Not that any more emotion was needed.
In his return to Citizens Bank Park since being traded, Chase Utley received a standing ovation from Philadelphia Phillies fans and hit two home runs including a grand slam. He moved past Rocky Colavito and into sole possession of 76th on the all-time list.The Phillies made it 13-5 on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Tommy Joseph in the eighth, but Kendrick tripled home a run in the ninth. The applause went on for so long, Utley came back out from the Dodgers’ dugout to give a curtain call to fans. He stretched by himself for a few minutes before pausing his routine to sign autographs, which garnered cheers.
Utley acknowledged the fans’ reaction.
Each time the 37-year-old, Dodger Blue version of Chase Utley stepped into the batter’s box Tuesday night, his former employers rolled out a new flourish to remind him of the gold-plated, Philadelphia red segment of his major-league career.
With his walk-up song from his days as a Phillie blaring, Led Zepplin’s “Kashmir”, Utley received a standing ovation that lasted almost a minute and half. Philly fans have a reputation as cynical and hard-bitten.
When the game was over, Utley had knocked in five runs, received four standing ovations and answered two curtain calls. On any other night a first-pitch strike would have been applauded by the home fans in attendance.
What leaves fans adoring him long after he left, more than the success he enjoyed with the teams he played on, is the way he played the game. Utley was traded to the Dodgers last August 19 for a pair of minor leaguers, a deal completed late at night, well after a Phillies game concluded. He told reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, that it was among the most nervous he’d been for an at-bat in his career.
Moments like the one at the World Series parade in 2008 where he yelled “World Champions” into a microphone, with a particularly potent expletive sandwiched in between those two words, didn’t hurt either.
Utley’s grand slam was his second a Dodger and his first in Philadelphia since June 1, 2005 against RHP LaTroy Hawkins and the San Francisco Giants.
At one point, the normally stoic Utley pounded his fist on his heart. In a loss to the Phillies his last time out, Kazmir logged four hits and two runs in six innings.
“This guy is more or as focused as any player I have ever seen”, manager Pete Mackanin said. “And he wants to be in those situations”. I’m a true believer that the fans made us better players individually and gave us a chance to win on a daily basis. “And he does play with intensity”. My generation in particular loves The Man named Chase Utley and will continue to do so even in another team’s uniform. “He is nearly overly intense”. He finished with 10 strikeouts – his highest total in three months – and just one walk. “He’s all in every day”.
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Maeda allowed just three hits, two of them leaving the park with solo home runs by Cameron Rupp and Cesar Hernandez. “It was a lot of fun seeing the Philly fans again, most importantly, it was a good win”.
