Monday, May 23, 2011
Posted: 11:28 p.m.
By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com
As he walked to the plate in the first inning Monday night, Chase Utley received a long and loud standing ovation from the largest regular-season crowd ever at Citizens Bank Park. It was the kind of greeting usually reserved for Cliff Lee.
Utley had been receiving ovations such as this long before Lee came to town. He is the original favorite Phillie and everyone from the upper deck to the dugout was eager to see him make his long-awaited 2011 debut after three months of painstaking rehab on his injured right knee.
I tried to tune it out, but it was a little too loud, Utley said of the deafening roar that accompanied his first at-bat of the season. Ill take that any time. The crowd was outstanding, as usual.
The most chronicled injury in Phillies history had sidelined Utley since the start of spring training, and now, after 16 days of testing his wounded knee in Florida, the all-star second baseman was back in the lineup.
Weve missed Chase since Day 1, manager Charlie Manuel said before the game. Its tremendous to have him back.
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Utley shared in the excitement, though his stoic personality wouldnt allow any giddiness before the game. But you could tell. While his teammates were still making their way from the clubhouse to the dugout before game time, he was already on the field, stretching and running sprints.
You guys obviously know I enjoy playing and its both disappointing and frustrating being on the sidelines and not being able to help, he said.
Utleys spirit helped more than his bat Monday night. After scoring three or fewer runs in nine straight games, the Phils bat rack caught fire in a 10-3 victory over Cincinnati. Utley lined to center twice, grounded out twice and struck out. He was the only Phillies starter without a hit, but so what. He squared up a couple of line drives well and helped out on defense. For the Phillies, it was just good to have his quiet leadership back.
There was a new energy with him here, winning pitcher Cole Hamels said.
I felt OK, Utley said. I had some good swings and some bad swings.
This was Utleys opening day47 games into the season. And just like any other opening day, there are still plenty of questions that must be answered as the narrative of the seasonChase Utleys seasonunfolds.
The biggest question, of course, is how will his knee hold up to the every day grind of the major leagues? Will a week of pounding cause the patellar tendinitis to flare up again? Will it happen after a month? Will he be able to make it through the remainder of the season and into October? Will he be able to avoid postseason surgery, which would impact him next season? For the record, he believes he has a program in place that will allow him to avoid surgery.
Utley said his time in Florida gave him some indication that the knee will hold up. But he will need to take precautions. He will get days off here and there. He might not play day games after night games. He insists he will be honest with Manuel and tell him when he needs to get off the leg.
Manuel said Utley would play Tuesday night. How can you mess with a lineup that scores 10 runs?
Back in spring training, the pain in Utleys knee was debilitating. It had to have been to keep this baseball junkie off the field. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Utley had no flare-ups during his 16-day rehab stint in Florida, which was a good sign.
No flare-ups, Amaro said. He had some soreness, but were going to have to deal with that.
The other big question that will be answered over the course of the season is how productive a player will Utley be? He might be pain-free and running on his legs again, but, with all that the knee has been through, can he still generate drive on the ball? There were signs that Utley was not driving the ball well at times the last two seasons. Indeed, his slugging percentage has gone down three years in a row. What will he be like now, at age 32, with many hard miles on his odometer?
Well watch for these answers as the season goes.
In the meantime, the Phillies are just happy to have Chase Utley back in the lineup.
He didnt get any hits in the Phils win over Cincinnati on Monday night. But in a lot of ways, he was the life of party.
I put in a lot of hard work over the last few months to get here, Utley said. I was just happy to be out there.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com