It’s a sad day for Phillies fans as The Man looks to be retiring
Phillies legend and current Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley is holding a press conference Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. The press conference is scheduled for 3:15 this afternoon.
It’s wrong to make assumptions, but it’s likely Utley will announce his retirement, either immediately or at the end of the season. Immediately feels to be the most likely circumstance for the 39-year-old.
Utley recently came off the disabled list with the Dodgers with a thumb injury suffered during the Phillies series.
There’s no player who better personifies the Phillies 2008 World Championship than Utley, who likely retires as a borderline Hall of Fame candidate who likely won’t receive enough support.
In a career decimated by injuries, Utley hit 259 home runs, 409 doubles, drove in 1,025 runs, and hit .276. From 2005-10 he hit .298 with 162 home runs before dealing with chronic knee pain.
Some of Utley’s numbers have passed current Hall of Famers, but missing 300 home runs will be a major piece of his candidacy.
Utley was the soft-spoken leader of the 2008 team, and his pending retirement comes shortly after teammates Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth announced their retirements leading up to the 10th-anniversary celebration of the World Series.
During the fabled 2008 season Utley hit .292 with 33 home runs, 41 doubles, and 104 RBI. He earned six All-Star selections, four Silver Sluggers, and went down in Phillies history as “The Man” thanks to Harry Kalas.
Ryan Madson and Cole Hamels remain the only active members of the World Series team.