The Man: Eight moments that defined Chase Utley’s Phillies career

As the Phillies get used to a brand-new infield arrangement, including a new second baseman, they also prepare to honor a cornerstone infielder who helped define one of the best generations of Philadelphia baseball.

Before the beginning of Friday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Phillies will honor Chase “The Man” Utley as the 2026 Toyota Wall of Fame inductee. The 15th overall draft pick in the 2000 MLB draft, Utley was a six-time All-Star on his career and a member of the 2008 World Series team.

Utley will be the 51st person in Philly history to be inducted into the Wall of Fame as well as the third from the 2008 team, preceded by Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins. Several other key people within the Phillies’ organization are also Wall of Fame members for their role involving that team: general managers Ed Wade and Pat Gillick, owner David Montgomery, manager Charlie Manuel, and historic broadcaster Harry Kalas.

In honor of Utley’s distinguished Philadelphia career, let’s take a stroll down memory lane at a few of the best moments on his career.

Drafted by the Phillies with the 15th overall pick in the 2000 MLB draft out of UCLA, Chase Utley reached the major leagues less than three years later. On April 24, 2003, he made his first career start, batting eighth against the Colorado Rockies at Veterans Stadium.

Utley flied out in his first at-bat before returning to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning. He attacked Aaron Cook’s first pitch and drove it deep to right field for his first major league hit: a grand slam.

The ball struck the old out-of-town scoreboard at Veterans Stadium, giving Philadelphia an early glimpse of the power and timely production Utley would provide for more than a decade. The second baseman of few words had introduced himself with one emphatic swing.

Utley’s rookie season also coincided with the final season at Veterans Stadium. On Sept. 27, 2003, the Phillies entered the bottom of the 10th inning tied 6-6 with the Atlanta Braves. Utley came to the plate with the winning run in scoring position and worked the count to 3-0 before lining a single into the outfield, giving the Phillies a 7-6 victory.

It was the final walk-off hit in the stadium’s 33-year history.

Utley returned to the plate the following afternoon with the Phillies trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two runners aboard, he grounded into a double play to end the game, making him the final batter and final out in Veterans Stadium history.

One way or another, the 24-year-old rookie brought the final two games at the Vet to a close. Citizens Bank Park would become the setting for Utley’s greatest accomplishments, but his career began with one foot still planted at 3501 South Broad Street.

By the middle of the 2006 season, Utley had developed from the Phillies’ promising young second baseman into one of the most productive players in baseball.

Beginning June 23, Utley went on a hitting streak that lasted 35 games. Over the course of the streak, he batted .405 with 62 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 30 RBIs.

The run nearly came to an end 33 games in, when Utley reached on what was initially ruled an error against the St. Louis Cardinals. The official scorer later changed the ruling to an infield hit, allowing the streak to continue. The following night, Utley drove a ball into right-center field and raced into second base, extending the streak to 35 games.

The streak came to an end on August 4 when Utley went 0-for-5 against the New York Mets. His 35-game run remains the second-longest hitting streak in Phillies history and is tied for the longest by a major league second baseman.

Utley earned his first All-Star selection that summer. By the end of the streak, the rest of baseball had been properly introduced to the player Philadelphia already knew. Soon enough, his nickname would emerge too.

Less than a week after his hitting streak ended, Utley produced the play that would give him his unofficial title in Philadelphia.

The Phillies entered the seventh inning of their Aug. 9, 2006, game against the Atlanta Braves trailing by a run. With the bases loaded, Utley drove a double into right-center field, clearing the bases and putting Philadelphia in front.

Ryan Howard then hit a slow ground ball toward the first-base side of the mound. Braves pitcher Macay McBride flipped the ball to first for what appeared to be a routine out. Utley, who began the play at second base, never stopped running.

He rounded third and raced toward the plate, sliding home ahead of the return throw.

“Chase Utley, you are the man,” Harry Kalas proclaimed as Utley rose to his feet.

The play added only one run to the scoreboard, but it captured nearly everything that made Utley a favorite in Philadelphia. He turned an ordinary groundout into something memorable because he never treated it as ordinary.

Brad Lidge dropping to his knees after striking out Eric Hinske is the defining image of the 2008 World Series. Several innings before that celebration, however, Utley made a play that ensured the Phillies would have a lead to protect.

Game 5 was tied 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning when Tampa Bay’s Jason Bartlett reached second base with two outs. Akinori Iwamura followed with a ground ball up the middle that carried Utley behind second base.

With no chance to retire Iwamura at first, Utley briefly raised his arm and looked across the diamond, feigning a throw he never intended to make. The hesitation was enough to send Bartlett around third and toward home.

Utley fired the ball home towards Carlos Ruiz, who applied the tag to end the inning.

The Phillies moved ahead in the bottom half and held on for a 4-3 victory, clinching their first World Series championship since 1980. Utley’s pump fake never appeared in the box score, but his awareness prevented the Rays from scoring the go-ahead run in a championship decided by one run.

Two days after the Phillies completed the suspended fifth game of the World Series, millions of fans lined the streets of Philadelphia to celebrate the city’s first major professional sports championship in 25 years.

The parade ended at Citizens Bank Park, where the players were introduced before a packed crowd. When Utley took the microphone, the second baseman known for carefully measured answers needed only a few words.

“World champions. World f------ champions.”

The declaration drew one of the loudest reactions of the afternoon and immediately became part of the championship’s mythology.

Utley’s popularity was built on grit and determination, not flashy speeches or saying the right things. He always preferred to let his performance speak on his behalf. The parade was a rare exception. After years of playing through injuries, taking extra bases, and helping transform the Phillies into world champions, Utley finally said exactly what the crowd had waited decades to hear.

The moment did not reveal a different Chase Utley. It gave Philadelphia a moment to hear the internal intensity that was always present in their second baseman.

The Phillies returned to the World Series in 2009, this time facing the New York Yankees. Although the Phillies came up short in their repeat bid, Utley delivered one of the most productive power performances in World Series history.

Facing CC Sabathia in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, Utley worked a nine-pitch at-bat before sending a full-count offering into the right-field seats. He homered off Sabathia again three innings later, becoming the first Phillies player to hit two home runs in a World Series game.

Utley added another home run in Philadelphia before hitting two more in Game 5, helping the Phillies extend the series with an 8-6 victory.

He finished the World Series with five home runs, tying the single-series record set by Reggie Jackson in 1977. George Springer later matched the mark in 2017. Utley also became only the second player to record two multi-home run games during the same World Series.

The Yankees won the series, but Utley’s iconic performance made it clear that the Phillies were not going to go down without a fight. His seven career World Series home runs remain the most by a second baseman.

The Phillies traded Utley to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2015, closing his 13-season run with the organization. Nearly one year later, he returned to Citizens Bank Park for the first time as an opposing player.

Before his first plate appearance on Aug. 16, 2016, Utley stepped out of the batter’s box as the crowd gave him a standing ovation that lasted nearly 90 seconds. He tipped his helmet, acknowledging the fans, and returned to the batter’s box.

The warm welcome did not stop Utley from tormenting his former team.

He hit a solo home run into the right-center-field seats in the fifth inning, prompting the Philadelphia crowd to call him out of the Dodgers’ dugout for a curtain call. Two innings later, Utley returned to the plate with the bases loaded and launched another home run to right field.

Once again, the crowd demanded a curtain call.

Utley finished with two home runs and five RBI as Los Angeles defeated Philadelphia 15-5. Few players could hit a grand slam against the home team and receive a standing ovation for it. The reaction provided one final measure of what Utley meant to Philadelphia: the uniform had changed, but the relationship had not.

An entire generation of Philadelphia fans grew up watching the even-keel nature and quick-handed nature of Chase Utley. Now Major League Baseball’s ambassador to Europe, a steward of the game in a growing market, Utley continues to make his mark on the future of the sport.

While his future within the sport is unclear, with his late-career knee issues potentially hindering his Hall of Fame bid, one thing is for certain: Utley’s impact on the City of Philadelphia will be memorialized for generations to come.

Fans who are attending Friday’s game are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:15 p.m. to not miss a moment of the pre-game ceremony honoring “The Man.”