Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Legend Makes Hilarious Comment About London Series

Don't expect Chase Utley to play a major role in the Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets London series.

Tyler Maher

Jun 21, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley
Jun 21, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley / John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
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There's no love lost between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, especially as far as Chase Utley is concerned.

The Mets and Phillies have been bitter rivals for decades, but their rivalry may have peaked during the first half of Utley's career. The two teams had some epic battles for the NL East during those days, finishing either first or second every year from 2006 to 2008.

Utley played a lot of intense games against New York during his 13 seasons in Philadelphia, inviting a lot of hatred from Mets fans. It didn't help that he frequently killed their team, batting .281/.374/.526 with 39 home runs and 118 RBIs in 194 career games against them.

Surprisingly, though, it was a controversial play that occurred after he left the Phillies that permanently cemented his villain status in the minds of New Yorkers.

The play occurred during the 2015 NLDS between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Utley, who'd been traded to the Dodgers that season, slid hard into shortstop Ruben Tejada while trying to break up a double play in Game 2. Not only did Utley break up the double play, but he also broke Tejada's leg, ending his season and altering the trajectory of his career.

Nearly a decade later, many New Yorkers still haven't forgiven Utley.

Needless to say, he won't be making the rounds in enemy territory prior to the upcoming two-game series in London between the Mets and Phillies from June 8-9.

When reporters jokingly asked him if he was going to do any promotional work at Citi Field (New York's home stadium) prior to Thursday's game between the two rivals, Utley gave the perfect response.

Not surprisingly, Utley said he will not be doing any promotional work in the Big Apple, saying he "never got a phone call."

If he did, the Mets certainly wouldn't have anything nice to say.

Published
Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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