The Official Site of Chase Utley

Thu, Jun 11th 2009, 09:48

Utley leads Phillies over Mets

The difference between 33 wins and 34, and a one-game lead and a three-game lead, and a heartbreaking win and a heartbreaking loss, was so narrow last night that pinpointing the exact moment in which the Phillies’ fortunes turned is better left to the mathematicians.

The inning-ending doubleplay turned by Pedro Feliz and Chase Utley with the bases loaded in the fourth; the inning-ending strikeout by Scott Eyre with the bases loaded in the seventh; the inning-ending diving catch by Jayson Werth with the game-winning run racing around second in the 10th – on a night the Mets managed 16 hits and had 19 at-bats with runners in scoring position – all played equally decisive roles in determining the outcome.

But the freshest memories are the most recent, and thus we come to Utley, leading off the 11th inning, and the 1-0 fastball that the second baseman sent sailing into the seats in rightfield, where a handful of Mets fans could only watch as the final dagger in a 5-4 Phillies victory landed in their midst.

When all was said and done, Utley had his 14th and 15th home runs of the season, Ryan Madson had his first save since taking over for injured closer Brad Lidge, and the Phillies had a win to make up for the one that got away the previous night against New York ace Johan Santana.

“We got some big hits, some good defensive plays,” said Utley, who went 3-for-5 and has three home runs in the first two games of this three-game series. “So overall, it was a pretty good game.”

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