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PHILADELPHIA – When Chase Utley announced his upcoming retirement on July 13 in Los Angeles, he had it in mind on July 23 in Philadelphia. Utley declared his intentions courtesy to fans of the Phillies, although the prospect of all this love and affection in his return to Citizens Bank Park made him feel uncomfortable
unless the Phillies and Dodgers are in the playoffs. Mark Utley's last trip to Philadelphia as a visiting player. A crowd of 33,753 has not lost the opportunity to show Utley that he is – and will always be – loved in this city.
Utley jumped from the shelter and beckoned when PA announcer Dan Baker announced his name during pre-game introductions, and he received a second 50-second standing ovation when the system soundtrack played his old Phillies Walk-up, Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir", before his first appearance. Max Muncy, Yasmani Grandal, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson hit solo balls, and the Dodgers rallied to beat the Phillies 7-6. 6. But from a sentimental point of view, the night belonged to the 39-year-old part-time second-base player in Los Angeles.
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Max Muncy, Yasmani Grandal, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson Verdugo scored the tiebreaking race on wild field at the top of the ninth inning, which allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to win a 7-6 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies …
"It was very fun," said Utley. "It was a long game, intense, and a little moving, I do not know why it's so scary during this first game, but that's really it."
Utley's is established as one of the most popular athletes in the history of the sport of Philadelphia with his leadership, his production and his fundamentally solid game at the first place of the Phillies from 2007 to 2011. He made five Star teams and won four Silver Slugger Awards before the injuries compromised his skills and his playing time. In August 2015, the Phillies traded Utley against the Dodgers for minor leagues Darnell Sweeney and John Richy. 19659002] Monday 's match was a wall – to – wall tribute to Utley in Philadelphia: from one bat to the other, the outdoor billboard posted pictures of him at Long Beach. turning a double game as a college student at UC LA signed his first professi Onnel with the Phillies as first draft pick in 2000. There was also a video montage of Utley highlights accompanied by the sound of Harry Kalas, broadcaster of the Hall of Fame
"It was awesome "Dodgers director Dave Roberts said. "It's great when a fan base shows its admiration, love and respect for a player who did it the right way, I thought it was going to get the winning shot, but it did not work that way. " 19659002] After a first-round ball, Utley was not very lucky at the game. He failed with the loaded bases, was stolen from a hit on a plunge by the player Phillies center Odubel Herrera and finished Tommy Hunter snatched his big comeback and expelled him to the first goal of the eighth inning of the eighth inning of the eighth inning, which has nothing to be seen with Utley's first trip to Philadelphia in August 2016. In a Los Angeles 15-5 win
Before the match, Utley answered questions on a variety of Philadelphia media topics for nearly 20 minutes. says that he has not decided yet whether he is interested in managing or coaching someday. he would like to remain involved in baseball to a certain extent.
Utley was nostalgic for his relationship with Phillies fans, many of whom told him over the years that they named their sons "Chase" in his honor. He expressed his disappointment at not being in Philadelphia on August 5th to participate in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Phillies win at the 2008 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Utley and the Dodgers will conclude a three-game series in Houston that day. But Utley was keen to keep in touch with Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Pat Burrell and several other former Phillies teammates over the years.
"I spoke to Jimmy the other day, and we were I complimented myself – how I made it better and it made me better," he said. said Utley. "It's hard to say what it was like to play here, with the electricity that the crowd gave us, but I think the guys on the way from the minor leagues and the guys who were High school and college watching baseball at that time had a great look at how to play baseball the right way.If you're a student of the game, these teams were a very good model to watch. "
Kike Hernandez, a Dodgers businessman, who attended Utley's press conference as a sign of respect and admiration wears a white T-shirt with a picture of Utley on the front He stuck to Utley as a mentor last season, and they spent the offseason working together in Los Angeles. mornings in the spring, the teammates met for breakfast at 6:30 am and worked at 7am. The bond grew to the point that Hernandez now refers to Utley as "Dad."
"It's a relationship I never take for granted," Hernandez said. "Not many people who have played with him or who have seen him play have seen Chase's side that I've seen, I'm lucky to have built a pretty big relationship with him so that I can call him one of my best friends in the team, otherwise my best friend in the team.
"I'm just excited to be a sponge around him, he's definitely one of the best in the game." He was the best in the game for a long, long time. World tells you not to take the veterans for granted and try to learn as much as possible.I'm what I'm trying to do with him. "
Hernandez and the other Dodgers have watched Utley step out of his comfort zone by recognizing the applause of the Philadelphia crowd on Monday, Utley has only 16 batted this month, so it's not a lock he's will be in the starting lineup for the next two games of this series.No matter what happens, he is relieved to have the last personal tribute behind him and to be able to focus on what matters most
"This is not the first time I come back here, but it will be the last one" He added, "It's okay But at the end of the day, we are here to win baseball games. "
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