The Phillies are on the verge of trading franchise icon Chase Utley after weeks and weeks of rumors. Utley appears headed to his hometown Dodgers for two prospects.
Utley spent parts of 13 seasons in Philadelphia and was a key piece of their 2008 World Series winning team and 2009 NL pennant winning team. He was both a star and incredibly underappreciated.
So, in honor of Utley's tenure with the Phillies, here are his five greatest moments, subjectively ranked. Don't agree with the five? Tell us about it!
5. 2008 NLCS Game 4
The Phillies led the 2008 NLCS series two games to one, but the Dodgers held a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning of Game 4. The bases were loaded with one out and Los Angeles was threatening to break things open, then Utley did this:
The video is grainy but don't blame me. Blame MLB.com, I guess. Anyway, Utley's spectacular inning-ending double play ended the threat and set the stage for Philadelphia's comeback. Shane Victorino and Matt Stairs hit two-run home runs in the eighth inning to give the Phillies the 7-5 win.
4. 2008 World Series Game 1
With Utley's help, the Phillies returned to the World Series in 2008 for the first time since 1993. He made a statement by cutting through the cowbells at Tropicana Field with a two-run home run off Scott Kazmir in the first inning of Game 1:
Not sure you could ask for a better start to the World Series. (Sorry about the grainy video again.)
3. First Career Hit
How awesome is Chase Utley? So awesome that his first career hit was a grand slam:
Fun fact: Utley is -- or was, until the trade -- the only active Philadelphia sports athlete to have played in the since demolished Veterans Stadium.
2. 2009 World Series
I'm cheating here because this isn't one moment, it was a series of moments. Utley crushed the Yankees in the 2009 World Series, hitting .286 with five home runs in the six games. Utley and Reggie Jackson are the only players in history with five homers in a single Fall Classic:
Three of those homers came against vintage CC Sabathia too. Sabathia allowed three home runs to left-handed batters in the entire regular season. This would rank No. 1 rather easily had the Phillies, you know, won the World Series that year. Utley would have been series MVP had they won. No doubt.
1. 2008 World Series Game 5
This is the perfect Utley play. Just heads up, smart baseball to save a run. Check out this defensive wizardry:
The Phillies led the 2008 World Series three games to one and the Rays had just tied Game 5 in the top of the seventh. If not for Utley's play, Tampa Bay would have taken a 4-3 lead, and who knows what happens after that? Utley did make the play though, and in the bottom of the inning the Phillies took a 4-3 lead, which was enough to clinch the title.
Honorable Mention: "Chase Utley you are the man!"
This is one of my favorite plays and one of Utley's best, just not one of his five best in my opinion. Make sure you watch the entire video. Don't stop after Utley's bases-clearing double.
Man, peak Utley was some kind of player.
