There are stats geeks in baseball who will tell you – with a straight face – that there is no such thing as a “clutch hitter.” Rather, they’ll argue, there are just good hitters and bad hitters, and good hitters get more hits at bigger moments because they’re better hitters. That’s reasonable, and obvious, but if there was ever a counter to zero sum nature of that stance, it’s Chase Utley’s ability to rise to the occasion. Sure, his bat slunked softly into the night during parts of the 2010 and 2011 postseasons, just like everyone else’s. But, consider all the times he rose to the occasion: Seven home runs over two World Series. A postseason home run rate of one home run every 16 at-bats compared to his career rate of one home run every 25 at-bats. Two home runs – also a solo shot and a grand slam – after being thrown at by the Mets earlier this year. Two home runs upon his return to Citizens Bank Park last night. Utley has 10 home runs this season, and six of them have come against the hated Mets or the Phillies.

These are just anecdotal examples, but I dare someone to look me in the face and tell me that certain players don’t possess an ability to dial-in their focus and rise to the occasion during moments when all eyes are on them. Chase Utley, The Man, continues to possess that ability.

Let’s Wood!

 

Is it just me or has Chase Utley fully morphed into an old-timey baseball player? Sure, he’s always played that way, but now, with his flecks of grey, hiked up pants, growing ass, and my back is a bit stiff today stance, he looks like one of the damn Yankees or Jimmy Duggan whenever he waves his hat and gives the people a little thrill.

 

For all the idiots who think cheering Chase – at any point last night – broke some sort of old school fuckhead code, consider the comments made after the game by Ryan Howard, who’s often used as the counter in foolish arguments over whether our love for Chase is too much:

“I think it was something bigger tonight,” Howard said after the 15-5 loss. “I definitely think it was something bigger than the game tonight.”

Utley then homered in the fifth inning and hit a grand slam in the seventh inning.

He got curtain calls each time.

“I think it just goes to show you can change the uniform, but he’s always going to be a Phillie at heart,” Howard said. “He’s always going to be a Phillie to everybody here. Again, I thought it was great. I thought it was awesome. For the fans to give him a curtain call again, it shows what he was able to do here and the impact that he had here on the fans.”

 

Chase is still trying to sell his condo*:

“If anybody in this room is still looking for a nice condo in town, come talk to me.” I doubt they could afford it, Chase.

*It seems Chase and I both had trouble selling our places, so we became landlords. Me and Chase, both landlords. We have something in common. Let’s date!

 

Chase absolutely killed his first home run:

Voila_Capture 2016-08-17_09-39-24_AM

 

Hop to the three-hour and 45-minute mark of this EIGHT HOUR(!) poker match on Twitch called by Kane Kalas to hear Harry’s velvety-voiced offspring gives us a Chase Utley, you are The Man:

Watch live video from PokerNightTV2 on www.twitch.tv

 

Some of the best pictures from last night: