Another core member of the Phillies’ golden era is going into the club’s Wall of Fame.
Chase Utley will be inducted into the Phillies’ Wall of Fame before Philadelphia’s Aug. 7 game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park, the team announced Thursday.
“It will be a special moment. As players, we don’t play the game to get recognized, to get awards. But now that we have the ability to sit back and reflect on your career, it is special,” Utley said during a press conference. “And it will be an honor to be part of this special club with the Phillies. The Phillies are my family.”
Utley is the second cornerstone player from the club’s golden era (2007-2011) to be inducted into the Wall of Fame — Jimmy Rollins became the first player inducted last season. Ed Wade, the general manager who planted the seeds for the Phillies’ 2008 World Series championship and the golden era, was also inducted last summer.
During Rollins’ ceremony last summer, it was Utley who was chosen to unveil the plaque on the Wall of Fame at the Bank.
“I enjoyed watching Jimmy last year, and his speech and everything he did throughout the course of the weekend,” Utley said. “We are all now officially grown up, and we feel really honored and extremely lucky to be part of this organization.”
Utley became a fan favorite for his old-school, high-intensity playing style in his 13-year career in Philadelphia. He was nicknamed “The Man” by legendary Phillies play-by-play broadcaster Harry Kalas and became a crush for the character “Mac” in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
Utley made six All-Star Games and won four Silver Sluggers with the Phillies. He tied the MLB record for the most home runs in a World Series with five in 2009, joining Reggie Jackson (1977) and George Springer (2017). His seven career World Series homers are the most ever by a second baseman.
He finished his Phillies career hitting .282/.366/.481 with an .847 OPS, 259 home runs, 1,025 RBIs and being hit by a pitch 173 times. He spent his final four seasons with the Dodgers and finished his career as one of the most hit-by-pitch players in MLB history. He was plunked 204 times over his 16-year career, ninth most in the history of the sport.
During his peak, from 2006 to 2011, Utley was widely considered the best second baseman in baseball. In the six-year span, Utley had the highest bWAR (42.0), OPS (.893), OPS+ (131), on-base percentage (.385) and slugging percentage (.508) among second basemen in MLB. He slugged 145 homers with 511 RBIs over the period.
“Chase established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the Phillies,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said. “He is among the leaders, career leaders, in games played, hits, home runs, RBIs and runs scored. His records are a testament not to his just innate talent but to his character, his hard work, his discipline, his resilience and perseverance that allowed him to achieve so much for so long.”
In January, Utley received 59.1% of the vote in his second year on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot — a little over a 30% jump from year over year. Utley appears set on a path to becoming the first core and perhaps only player from the golden era to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Once step at a time, but obviously you can’t help but to pay attention to it,” Utley said. “I’m humbled and honored just to be a part of the conversation. We’ll see how that unfolds, but I’m excited to see how it tracks.”
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