July 23, 2018 isn’t Chase Utley’s first time back in Philadelphia since the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers in August of 2015. But for many of the fans in attendance, it’s the final time that they’ll see the franchise icon play at Citizens Bank Park, so they acted accordingly.
Prior to the game, Phillies fans gave Utley a standing ovation when Dan Baker announced his name in the starting lineup for the Dodgers. Utley came out of the dugout for a pregame curtain call:
In the top of the second inning, Utley batted second. Even though he was following a solo shot from Chris Taylor, Utley received a standing ovation that lasted near a minute. He appeared to be on the verge of tears before nearly delivering the Dodgers fourth solo shot in two innings:
On a somewhat related note, Manny Machado, playing in Philadelphia for the first time since being traded to the Dodgers, heard mostly cheers when he came to the plate in the top of the first inning.
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