And there was nothing that Utley – who never was one to wear his emotions outwardly – could do to stop it except grab the right ear flap with his index finger and doff his Dodger blue helmet to the sky.
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Dodgers 2B Chase Utley made six All-Star teams while playing for the Phillies, and was part of five straight National League East title teams (2007-11).
How extraordinary was it?
Before the night was through, the Philadelphia crowd gave Utley three standing ovations and summoned him for two curtain calls.
As if that wasn’t insane enough, Utley came to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and promptly delivered a grand slam.
Maeda, a 28-year-old who spent his first eight professional seasons in his native Japan, allowed two runs and three hits in his six innings of work.
It was another example of a player who lived for the big moment relishing the spotlight. “The standing ovation in my first at-bat is something that I’ll never forget, to be honest with you”.
“That was something truly special”, Dodgers outfielder Howie Kendrick said. Fans showed their appreciation with four standing ovations. He struck out nine and walked one.With two outs and the bases empty in the second, Rupp lined Maeda’s first pitch, a curveball, over the fence in center field for his 14th homer of the season.Kendrick hit a two-run homer with one out in the fifth. “I was glad to get that first at-bat over with, to be honest with you guys”. “I should be thanking them”, he said. Adrenaline can be your friend at times. Mackanin said one factor could be Thompson has too much adrenaline flowing but Thompson doesn’t believe he’s trying to prove he belongs. “If I were to write up a script (last year), it would have gone a bit differently”. Long-time Phillies second baseman Chase Utley returned as a member of an opposing team for the first time on Tuesday, and the reception he got from the Phillies fans and players had to have been pretty satisfying.
It isn’t Utley’s style to wax poetic and get all weepy eyed. They look around the league at key matchups and report on the Phillies players, coaches and fans in the Philly burbs. If the San Francisco Giants lose to the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, the Dodgers will take over sole possession of the division lead for the first time since May 10.
Chase Utley went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts in his second game back in Philadelphia since the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers last August. “But you try to chalk it up to another baseball game”. I want to have a few more starts.
When it started, it just sort of snowballed.
But nothing was normal about this night. “The true thank you should be to them”.
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Kazmir admitted he didn’t “feel very good” throughout his start but was pleased to see the lineup have his back. 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. I think early on, he was a victim of trying to out-think things as far as beating the shift. He’s always going to be a Phillie to everybody here.
