LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 13: Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chase Utley (26) looks on during a MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 13, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Philadelphia Phillies enter the second half of the season firmly in the National League playoff race, remaining in strong position to return to October baseball.
And as the organization chases another postseason run, attention could soon turn to the chances that it will capture its first World Series championship since 2008.
One of the main contributors to that latest title, legendary second baseman Chase Utley, recently returned to Philadelphia to participate in some All-Star events. However, that return was just a short visit because he recently decided to rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers in a new role over a return to the Phillies.
Now, Utley has explained exactly why that decision made sense.
Philadelphia Phillies World Series Champion Chase Utley Explains Los Angeles Dodgers Decision
Utley, who played for 13 years with the Phillies and four years with the Dodgers in his career, said geography and family ultimately drove his latest career choice.
“I finished my career in Los Angeles,” Utley told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Conor Smith. “I live in Los Angeles, and I wanted to still be around baseball, but still be around my family and not travel too much. So it made sense just to get under their hood a little bit and understand what they’re doing. I get to sleep in my bed every single night; it’s a fantastic organization.”
That explanation emphasizes convenience rather than loyalty, especially given where Utley and his family settled after his playing career concluded. He also made clear that his feelings toward Philadelphia have never changed and that he might have taken a role with the Phillies had he decided to live nearby.
“I love Philadelphia and the Phillies organization,” Utley added, according to Smith. “If I lived in Philadelphia, I would do the same thing.”
Philadelphia Phillies Lost Chase Utley To Los Angeles Dodgers After Interest
The possibility of a reunion between the Phillies and Utley was more than speculation. After the former star infielder returned from a stint in Europe, the team he won the 2008 title with was reportedly looking to carve out a new role for him.
“The Utleys are back from England, back to living in the Los Angeles area, where Chase grew up and went to college,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber wrote in March. “The Phillies wanted to find a role for him. Instead, he took a job with the Dodgers: special assistant to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.”
Utley has since become part of one of baseball’s most respected front offices, gaining experience under Friedman while remaining close to home.
Although he chose the Dodgers over the Phillies this time, his latest comments suggest location — not organizational preference — was the deciding factor. But by reaffirming his affection for Philadelphia while explaining the realities of family life, Utley might have left the door open to the possibility that another chapter with the Phillies could still await somewhere down the road.