Chase Utley Photo of the Week (11-4-20)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is a shot of Chase during a mound visit with Cliff Lee and Carlos Ruiz.

Talk to you soon,

Little Chase

Alumni Weekend - Celebration of 2009 National League Championship Team

Hi everybody,

Alumni Weekend concluded earlier today with a pregame ceremony honoring the Phillies 2009 National League Championship team.  Almost all the members of the 2009 team were in attendance and Cole Hamels provided a video message to their teammates and the fans.  It was great to see the 2009 team again and it makes me want to watch some 2009 Phils baseball.

2009 NL Champs Reunion Photo

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (1-30-19)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is a shot of Chase celebrating with Carlos Ruiz after scoring a run.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

The Phillies Won the World Series 10 Years Ago Today

Most of 2008 Team From Alumni Weekend

Hi everybody,

Just wanted to acknowledge the ten year anniversary of the Phillies 2008 World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.  I remember that night like it was yesterday.  What a great time that was.  I hope we all get to enjoy another Phils World Series win in the coming seasons.

Great Memory of Lidge & Chooch

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (8-15-18)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is a shot of Chase celebrating a walk off win with his teammates a few years ago.  I can't tell who everybody is but I do see Kyle Kendrick, Domonic Brown, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Roy Halladay amost the happy Phillies mobbing Chase.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Alumni Weekend - Celebration of 2008 World Championship Team

Hi everybody,

Alumni Weekend concluded earlier today with a pregame ceremony honoring the 2008 World Championship Phillies team.  Almost all the members of the 2008 team were in attendance and many of those who could not attend (Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Matt Stairs and Chris Coste) provided video messages to their teammates and the fans.  It was great to see the 2008 team again.  It makes me want to watch some 2008 Phils baseball.

2008 World Champs Reunion Photo

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Alumni Weekend - Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick Wall of Fame Ceremony

Hi everybody,

It is Alumni Weekend down at the ballpark and former Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay and former Phillies General Manager Pat Gillick were added to the Phillies Wall of Fame in a ceremony last night (August 4th) before the ballgame.

Roy Halladay (who sadly passed away last November) played for the Phillies from 2010-2013.  During his four season with the Phils, Doc would pitch a perfect game against the Miami Marlins on May 29, 2010 as well as a post-season no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds during Game 1 of the 2010 National League Divisional Series.

Halladay's wife Brandy and his two sons accepted the Wall of Fame induction in his honor and Brandy gave a beautiful speech honoring Doc.  Carlos Ruiz then unveiled Halladay's Wall of Fame Plaque.

Charlie and Brandy Halladay...

Brandy Halladay gives beautiful speech honoring her husband....

Chooch unveils Halladay Wall of Fame Plaque...

Doc Wall of Fame Plaque

Pat Gillick served as the Phillies General Manager from 2006-2008 and later as Phillies President from 2014-2015.  It was during Gillick's time as GM that the Phillies won the World Series in 2008.

Gillick Wall of Fame Plaque

I just want to congratulate both Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick for earning their places on the Phillies Wall of Fame.  I just wish that Doc was still here so he could have been a part of it.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (7-4-18)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is a shot of Chase celebrating with former Phils catcher Carlos Ruiz after scoring a run.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Carlos Ruiz Returns to Philadelphia as a Mariner

Hi everybody,

As I wrote a couple days ago (Phils to Face Carlos Ruiz For the First Time Since Being Traded)....Carlos Ruiz returned to Philly with the Seattle Mariners for a two-games series on Tuesday and Wednesday (May 9-10).  During the game on Tuesday the Phils aired a video tribute to Chooch on the giant videotron.  An emotional Ruiz tipped his cap to the cheering Phillies fans after the video.

When Chooch batted for the first time later that night, he received another standing ovation from the fans.

You can watch the standing ovation here: http://www.csnphilly.com/video/phillies-fans-welcome-back-carlos-ruiz-standing-ovation

It was good to see you again Chooch!   No matter what uniform you wear...you will always be a Phillie!

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 32: Mariners (16-17) at Phillies (13-18)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of yesterday's game:

Seattle Mariners:                         11
Philadelphia Phillies:                   6

SP:   Zach Eflin

LP:   Joaquin Benoit (0-2)


RBIs:

Aaron Altherr = 4 (21)
Freddy Galvis = 1 (21)
Tommy Joseph = 1 (14)

Home Runs:

Aaron Altherr = 2 (7)
Tommy Joseph = 1 (4)

Runs Scored:

Cesar Hernandez = 1 (29)
Aaron Altherr = 2 (19)
Tommy Joseph = 2 (13)
Zach Eflin = 1 (1)


Carlos Ruiz went 1 for 4 with a three-run double in the 7th inning.  Chooch had a total of 4 RBIs.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 31: Mariners (15-17) at Phillies (13-17)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of last night's game:

Seattle Mariners:                         10
Philadelphia Phillies:                    9

SP:   Jerad Eickhoff

LP:   Hector Neris (1-2)


RBIs:

Odubel Herrera = 1 (13)
Michael Saunders = 2 (12)
Tommy Joseph = 1 (13)
Freddy Galvis = 1 (20)
Ty Kelly = 1 (1)
Aaron Altherr = 3 (17)

Home Runs:

Michael Saunders = 1 (3)
Tommy Joseph = 1 (3)
Aaron Altherr = 1 (5)

Runs Scored:

Cesar Hernandez = 2 (28)
Aaron Altherr = 1 (17)
Odubel Herrera = 1 (15)
Michael Saunders = 1 (12)
Tommy Joseph = 2 (11)
Freddy Galvis = 1 (14)
Cameron Rupp = 1 (11)


Carlos Ruiz only had one at bat as a pinch hitter but did not get on base.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Phils to Face Carlos Ruiz For the First Time Since Being Traded

Hi everybody,

The Phils will see former catcher Carlos Ruiz for the first time since he was traded as the Seattle Mariners come to Philly for a two game series tonight and tomorrow.  The Phils traded Chooch to the Dodgers last August and the Dodgers subsequently traded him to the Mariners in November.  I hope Ruiz does well in both games but the Phils still get the wins.  In any event...it will be good to see Chooch tonight!

I'll always prefer this look for Chooch...

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (10-12-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is another Chase pic with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins.  Along with Cole Hamels and Carlos Ruiz...Chase, Jimmy and the Big Piece were the core of the Phillies playoff run from 2007-2011.  I miss seeing them in Phillies pinstripes.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Time to Put My Phils Jersey Away

Hi everybody,

With the 2016 season coming to a close...it's time for me to put my Phillies jersey away.  Will still be watching playoff baseball and rooting for Chase, Chooch and Cole as well as watching Eagles football but this time of year is always a little sad for me.  I'll miss watching the Phils every night and bummed that the winning era from 2007-2011 is officially over with the Big Piece leaving.

We'll still have some fun on the blog though and before you know it...it will be time to put that Phils jersey back on again.

See you in 2017 Phillies...

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (8-24-16)

Hi everybody,

With Carlos Ruiz being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week....I decided to use a pic from happier times of Chase and Chooch when they were Phils for this week's photo of the week.  I understand why the trades were made and I wish them the best but I still miss Chase and Chooch.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Carlos Ruiz Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers

Hi everybody,

Another sad time in Philadelphia because long-time Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz (and cash) was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday (August 25th) for catcher A.J. Ellis, Class A right-handed pitcher Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later.  Ruiz has been on the team for his entire career and was very popular with the players and organization.  The fans also loved Ruiz and chanted his nickname Chooch every time he was up to bat.

Ruiz enters a pennant race by going to the Dodgers and reunites with Chase Utley (my hero) as well as Joe Blanton from the 2008 World Series Championship team.  That leaves Ryan Howard as the last remaining Phillie from that 2008 team.

Here are Ruiz's final stats for the 2016 season (48 games played):

Batting Average:   .261 (43 for 165)
OPS:   .719
RBIs:   12
Runs Scored:   18
Home Runs:   3
Singles:   34
Doubles:   6
Triples:   0
Stolen Bases:   3
Walks:   24
Strike Outs:  28

Ruiz left a farewell message to his former teammates before leaving for Los Angeles:

I will miss all of you guys," the 37-year-old wrote. "Good luck the rest of the season. Love you all, Chooch! Gracias.

I want to thank Ruiz for everything he has done here in Philly.  I wish him the best of luck in LA.  He will always be a Phillie to me.  Good luck Chooch and Thank You!

Doc No-Hitter

2008 World Champs

Doc No-Hitter

Hamels No-Hitter

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 116: Phillies (52-63) at Dodgers (64-49)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of yesterday's game:

Philadelphia Phillies:                      6
Los Angeles Dodgers:                    2

SP:   Jeremy Hellickson

WP:   Elvis Araujo (2-1)


RBIs:

Freddy Galvis = 3 (45)
Ryan Howard = 3 (35)

Home Runs:

Freddy Galvis = 1 (11)

Runs Scored:

Carlos Ruiz = 2 (18)
Jimmy Paredes = 1 (9)
Odubel Herrera = 1 (61)
Freddy Galvis = 2 (44)


Chase Utley didn't get any hits but he's still my hero.  See you next week, Chase.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 113: Phillies (51-61) at Padres (48-62)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of yesterday's game:

Philadelphia Phillies:                6
San Diego Padres:                    5

SP:   Jerad Eickhoff

WP:   Jerad Eickhoff (7-12)
SV:    Jeanmar Gomez (29)


RBIs:*

Odubel Herrera = 2 (39)
Carlos Ruiz = 1 (12)
Jerad Eickhoff = 1 (5)
Tommy Joseph = 1 (29)

* An additional run scored due to a fielding error in the 4th inning

Home Runs:

Odubel Herrera = 1 (12)

Runs Scored:

Cesar Hernandez = 1 (42)
Odubel Herrera = 1 (60)
Ryan Howard = 1 (24)
Carlos Ruiz = 1 (16)
Freddy Galvis = 1 (41)
Jerad Eickhoff = 1 (4)


The Phils also recorded a triple play in the 7th inning.  It was the first ever triple play in Petco Park history.  The last triple play recorded by the Phils before yesterday was on August 23, 2009 against the New York Mets.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 92: Mets (48-41) at Phillies (42-49)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of last night's game:

New York Mets:                         2
Philadelphia Phillies:                4

SP:   Jerad Eickhoff

WP:   Edubray Ramos (1-0)
SV:    Jeanmar Gomez (25)


RBIs:*

Ryan Howard = 1 (28)
Cody Asche = 1 (17)
Maikel Franco = 1 (54)

* An additional run scored due to a wild pitch in the 8th inning

Home Runs:

Ryan Howard = 1 (13)

Runs Scored:

Peter Bourjos = 1 (30)
Ryan Howard = 1 (18)
Carlos Ruiz = 1 (15)
Jerad Eickhoff = 1 (3)


Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 89: Phillies (41-47) at Rockies (39-47)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of last night's game:

Philadelphia Phillies:                  3
Colorado Rockies:                      8

SP:   Jerad Eickhoff

LP:   Jerad Eichkoff (6-10)


RBIs:

Tommy Joseph = 1 (21)
Carlos Ruiz = 2 (11)

Home Runs:

Tommy Joseph = 1 (11)

Runs Scored:

Tommy Joseph = 3 (21)


Talk to you soon,
Little Chase