Chase Utley returned to Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, kicking off one last series in Philadelphia before his planned retirement at the end of the season. Barring the Phillies and Dodgers facing off during the postseason, this series will be the last time Phillies fans get to watch Utley play on the field where they first fell in love with him and watched The Man bring them a World Series and endless good times.
Chase Utley gets multiple standing ovations from Phillies fans during his final series in Philadelphia
The fans in Citizens Bank Park didn’t disappoint.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
He made sure the fans knew that before it happened, too, intentionally announcing his retirement in the middle of the season so he could get a proper goodbye in Philadelphia and let Phillies fans know what they mean to him in return.
While the stands weren’t quite full for lineups on Monday night, the fans made sure they were as loud and enthusiastic as possible when Utley’s name was called. As expected, they went all out for him.
There weren’t any waterworks from Utley but you could see the emotion on his face as he soaked in the love from the fans who he bonded with over more than a decade in Philly.
This wasn’t the last standing ovation Utley got either, with the fans rising up once again when he came up to bat and when he flew out to the warning track as well. He stepped out of the box to soak it in and tip his cap.
There will be curtain calls all week presumably, and probably some eventual tears from Utley or the many fans who treasured his time playing for their team. Even knowing it was coming doesn’t make watching these fan reactions any less emotional to watch. Good job, Philly.
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