Thursday, October 1, 2026
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
The Phillies honored Chase Utley and could have used his ability to rack up base hits as they lost to the Blue Jays 5-4 on Friday night. Zack Wheeler allowed four runs over 5.1 innings pitched while the Phillies’ attempt to come back in the bottom of the ninth came up a few steps short.
Before the evening’s schedule could begin, the tarp was placed on the field as the Phillies anticipated the round of storms working its way through the Delaware Valley.
When the storms arrived in South Philadelphia, fans were encouraged to take shelter in the concourse areas. Minutes later, a crack of thunder echoed through Citizens Bank Park that made the entire stadium shake.
After a rain delay just over two hours in length, the Phillies were ready to begin honoring one of the city’s most revered players.
The rain did not stop Chase Utley and the Phillies from claiming Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. It was not going to stop the Phillies from honoring Utley Friday night.
As the rain fizzled into a drizzle before outright stopping, Dan Baker and Tom McCarthy emceed the night, calling to the field Phillies Wall of Famers such as Mike Schmidt, Charlie Manuel, Pat Gillick, Pat Burrell, and Jimmy Rollins.
MORE: Chase Utley’s Phillies Wall of Fame night was a love letter to Philadelphia
Burrell took the mic to introduce his former teammate, expressing a sentiment felt by many of Utley’s teammates over the years.
“He made us all better,” Burrell said. “And that’s what winners do. Make everybody around them better.”
When the soft-spoken Utley took the mic, many expected his speech to be short, to the point, and yet still heartfelt. Short it was not, but Utley’s heart and soul could be felt in his words, just as it could be felt in his play style.
“In Philadelphia, you don’t get respect,” Utley declared. “You have to earn respect.”
Utley earned his respect in pure grit and athleticism. Now, that respect is cemented for generations to come.
As the contest began, the Phillies and Blue Jays exchanged blows early on. Both teams scored a run apiece in both the second and third innings as the lead teeter-tottered between the two.
In the second inning, the run came on a solo home run from Andrés Gimenez, who connected on a first-pitch fastball, sending it into the stands in right field. A lead-off double from Brett Bateman, the first base hit of the rookie’s career, eventually led to a sacrifice fly to score a run in the fourth.
The Phillies, meanwhile, scored both of their runs with two outs. Brandon Marsh walked in the bottom of the second before J.T. Realmuto slung a single into left field. Jesús Sánchez made an error on the play, letting the ball dribble past him and allowing Marsh to score from first on the play. Kyle Schwarber then hit a double to Sánchez in the bottom of the third, setting up Bryce Harper to bat him in with a two-out single to tie the game at 2-2.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Blue Jays had two outs, and Josh Smith was at the plate. After the 1-0 pitch, Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins yelled out, accusing Wheeler’s foot of coming off of the rubber illegally. Allegedly, Popkins had been pointing this out multiple times at this point.
Home plate umpire John Tumpane took exception to Popkins’ repeated exclamations and opted to eject the hitting coach from the game.
Wheeler, likely frustrated from having allowed runs in back-to-back innings and being accused of leaving the mound, responded to the ejection by yelling an expletive at the Blue Jays dugout.
The Blue Jays then scored their third run off Wheeler by sandwiching a pair of two-out singles with a walk to score Smith, giving the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead.
Due to some rain-shortened outings, Zack Wheeler had only pitched 100 pitches in his previous two outings. Friday night, Wheeler threw his most pitches since 2021.
Needing 116 pitches to get into the top of the sixth, Wheeler exited with the bases loaded and one out in the inning. Tim Mayza entered the ballgame, exchanging a run for an out on a sacrifice fly to Alejandro Kirk. Pinch hitter Myles Straw then flew out to Harper to end the inning before any more damage could be dealt.
The main issue for Wheeler on the day was the excess of walks allowed by the veteran. In 5.1 innings, he walked five Blue Jays batters in addition to the seven hits he allowed. At the end of the day, his account was charged with four earned runs.
The Blue Jays extended their lead in the top of the eighth as Smith took a first-pitch sample from Caleb Killian into right-center field for a one-out solo home run.
The bottom of the ninth rolled around, and the Phillies found themselves down by three runs. Bryson Stott and Justin Crawford worked back-to-back walks to put two runners on base. As a team, the Phillies walked nine times on the evening, a season high for the ball club.
Kyle Schwarber then reached on a first-pitch catcher's interference call, loading the bases for Trea Turner. Turner scored Stott on a fielder's choice, passing the baton to Bryce Harper with one out and runners on the corners.
Harper put the ball in play, hitting an infield single to a shifting Ernie Clement at second, scoring Crawford to bring the Phillies within one run of the Blue Jays.
With runners on first and second, Luis Arraez patiently worked a 10-pitch walk to load the bases.
Alec Bohm then followed up by hitting the first pitch he saw from closer Tyler Rogers, hitting a fielder’s choice up the middle as Turner was called out on a 4-2 force-out at home.
Marsh then followed up with another hard ground ball to second to end the ballgame. He attempted to beat the throw, but was one step too late as the Blue Jays claimed game one over the Phillies 5-4. Zack Wheeler took the loss, just his third on the year.
The Phillies and Blue Jays will return to action for the second leg of Alumni Weekend on Saturday night in a 6:05 start.
Chase Utley will throw a ceremonial first pitch to none other than Carlos Ruiz, while Aaron Nola will duke it out against Max Scherzer.
