The Official Site of Chase Utley

Thu, Oct 29th 2009, 09:56

Utley sets mark, then joins Babe in history

Chase Utley got off to a historic start in this World Series on Wednesday night, setting a Major League Baseball record by reaching base safely in his 26th consecutive postseason game and then joining Babe Ruth in the record books by hitting a pair of solo homers to lead the Phillies to a 6-1 victory over the Yankees.

Utley drew a walk off Yankees ace CC Sabathia in the first inning to break a record he had shared with Boog Powell, who had reached base safely in 25 consecutive postseason games for Baltimore from 1966-71. Then Utley homered off Sabathia in the third to start the World Series scoring, and then doubled the lead with another solo shot in the sixth.

“I didn’t know that happened,” Utley said, typically humble as media relayed a barrage of statistical records to him. “You know, every day, you try to put a game plan together, and you try to get on base for the next guy. Having Ryan [Howard] and Jayson [Werth] and Raul [Ibanez] hitting behind me, those guys can drive in a lot of runs. The more guys on base we have, the better opportunity we have to score some runs.”

Both homers marked the first time a left-handed hitter had gone deep off Sabathia in new Yankee Stadium. Perhaps even more remarkably, Utley’s two home runs marked the first time a lefty has hit two homers off a lefty since Babe Ruth homered off Bill Sherdel of the Cardinals in Game 4 of the 1928 World Series. Ruth hit three in that game — the last one off legendary right-hander Grover Cleveland Alexander.

“I guess that’s pretty good company, but no,” Utley said when asked if he felt that was important. “You try to take it game-to-game and keep working.”

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