He did it in his first game back as an opponent with a solo home run in the fifth inning and a grand slam that capped an eight-run seventh.
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Six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger Award victor and 2008 World Series champion Chase Utley returned to Citizens Bank Park to face the Philadelphia Phillies (56-64) for the first time since being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers (66-52) last August.
Two innings after his big donger, Utley stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and the game locked up. He now has 10 homers this season, three against his former team.Utley, 2-for-4 with five RBIs in the game, acknowledged a curtain call from the fans after both homers.It was the 23rd multi-homer game of his career, and the slam was his seventh. And while he seemed genuinely appreciative of the adulation and attention that he received Tuesday night when the Dodgers made their only visit to South Philadelphia, this was also a business trip.
It’s hard to articulate the full extent Phillies fans love Utley, and would never dream of letting him buy a beer in the confines of the 215 area code. In two games with a 1-1 record this year, Thompson has managed an 8.68 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP in 9.1 innings.
By that time, Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” blared through Citizens Bank Park and Cameron Rupp left his spot directly behind the dish for one on the edge of the batting circle grass.
Even more came when starting lineups were read by public address announcer Dan Baker, who informed fans Utley was leading off the Dodgers. “The standing ovation my first at-bat was something I’ll never forget, to be honest with you”.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Chase Utley acknowledges the applause of the fans as he comes to bat during …
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez said he expects to make “three or four more starts” this season. “It shows how passionate and how great the Philadelphia fan base is”.
“It was completely overwhelming”, Utley said. To his credit, Velasquez retired Utley the first two times and kept the Dodgers in check through four innings. “I was glad to get that first at-bat over with”. “I tried to downplay it as much as possible, but it’s been something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time”.
Or the way that hundreds of fans adorned in red jerseys cheered wildly for a guy in blue, who made it feel like old times in the place that he called home for a long time. The crowd responded on cue, standing and cheering for nearly 90 seconds as Utley doffed his helmet, patted his heart and showed some genuine emotion beneath that typically stoic exterior.
“That right there tells you he has the knack”, Seager said.
The Phillies traded Utley last August 19 to the Dodgers for pitcher John Richy and utility player Darnell Sweeney. “I didn’t really have the opportunity to say goodbye”, he said. “To me, that’s a true compliment”.
“Everything happened kind of quickly previous year”, he said. “If I had to write a script, it would have gone a little bit different”.
“I’ll try to do my best in keeping my emotions to myself”, Utley said, before the game.
Tuesday was a night when Phillies fans could remember better days. “When you want to play a certain style of baseball, to have Chase exude that every single day and not take a pitch off, it’s been invaluable for me as a first-year manager”.
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“It was such a waste to give up two runs on three hits”. He’s now up to 12 home runs on the season with five coming in his last 20 games. 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.
