The Official Site of Chase Utley

Mon, Oct 12th 2009, 10:55

Utley Helps Put Phillies a Win From NLCS

Chase Utley still had his head down and was running full speed when the longest hit of Sunday night’s pivotal Game 3 of the NLDS at Coors Field cleared the right-field fence in the first inning.

Utley never saw it leave the park. Running at full speed during the coldest postseason game ever played (first-pitch temperature was 35 degrees) is a good way to cause the eyes to tear up and cause a frost burn on the cheeks. Utley only knew he had hit a homer when he caught a glimpse of third-base coach Sam Perlozzo signaling to him that he got it.

For a hitter who has had extreme ups and downs in the playoffs during his career, the home run to get things started in the important game was a harbinger of things to come.

So it’s a bit ironic that Utley’s biggest hit—his most important hit of the season—was the one that traveled the shortest distance.

It was that little cue shot in the ninth inning that struggled to touch the grass around the dirt surrounding home plate that set the table for the Phillies’ all-important 6-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

If only it was that easy.

Utley was ruled safe at first for a single when the throw from catcher Yorvit Torrealba appeared to pull first baseman Todd Helton off the bag. Replays also seemed to show Utley making contact with the ball, but that was not called, either. After the game Rockies’ shortstop Troy Tulowitzki told reporters that Utley admitted the ball hit him on the leg. When presented with his admission, Utley reacted the only way he could…

He smiled. Then he hedged.

“It might have hit my leg. It was cold out there,” Utley said showing off the worst poker face ever. “I was just running hard.”

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