For the second straight visit to Citizens Bank Park, Chase Utley received a standing ovation from Phillies fans, and rightly so.
To say Chase Utley played an integral part in the Phillies run of division titles from 2007 to 2011 and their World Series championship in 2008 would be an understatement. Charlie Manuel used Utley as his third hitter every day he was healthy, a spot designated for the team’s best overall hitter.
In that span of division titles, Utley was the second-best player in all of baseball according to fWAR, second only to Albert Pujols. In 665 games, he hit 113 home runs, scored 458 runs, drove in 409 more, went 73-for-78 in stolen base attempts, and had an .889 OPS. Utley’s 33.5 fWAR is easily the best on the team; Jimmy Rollins is the next closest at 20.0.
Utley was streaky in the playoffs, doing well in some series while struggling in others. His best series was easily the 2009 World Series, where his five home runs tied the record for most home runs in any World Series. His performance was so strong that he was in the discussion for the series MVP award despite being on the losing team.
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Beyond what he did on the field, Utley was adored by fans for his personality. There were never any issues about what he said, if he said anything at all. He fit the narrative of the classic “Philly guy”: full of hustle, putting his nose to the grindstone every day. Whether or not you but into that narrative is your own prerogative, but that fact can’t be ignored.
Utley was a fan favorite for so long, it only makes sense that upon his return to Philadelphia the fans gave him an ovation.
They did it last year when Utley returned for the first time, and they did it again Monday night when the Dodgers visited Philadelphia again. Based on everything Utley did, the fans have every right to do so.
For starters, Utley didn’t leave under bad circumstances like Jayson Werth. Despite both being a part of the 2008 team, Werth is hated because he “chased the money” and went to Washington. Meanwhile, Utley only left after being traded in 2015, when the rebuild had gone into full swing and it was clear that he wouldn’t be around for the next (hopefully) contending Phillies team. Both Utley and the team were extremely classy about the situation, and no one felt slighted when the trade happened.
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Also, Utley was a key part of just the second team in more than 130 years to win a championship. It took nearly a century for the first Phillies championship, and almost 30 years after that before the next one. Guys that were part of those teams are forever ingrained into Philadelphia sports history. Giving Utley an ovation is recognizing a piece of that history.
The argument against giving Utley an ovation is that you can’t do it to an opposing player. If this was a series that determined the playoff hopes of two rival teams, it makes some sense.
However, the Phillies are one of the worst teams in baseball and whether or not they win the game doesn’t matter. They play the Dodgers just twice every year, so it isn’t like there’s any bad blood between the teams (unless fans are still upset about the Dodgers losing in the NLCS twice in a row to Philadelphia). Recognizing Utley really doesn’t hurt anybody and doesn’t compromise the “tough Philadelphia fan” image.
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If fans want to show their respect for one of the best players in the team’s history, they have every right to do so. It doesn’t hurt anyone, and there’s no reason for bad blood between Philadelphia and Utley. Other players got their ovation from the fans, so too should Utley.