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Interior: Visiting clubhouse pregame. The entire team sits quietly. Charlie has called a team meeting.
Charlie: Like, y'all listen up. Bossman wants a word.
From the training room, Chase Utley enters. He looks at Charlie.
Chase: Players only Skip.
Charlie and the coaches leave. Chase looks around silently.
Chase: Who's throwing tonight?
Pettibone raises his hand.
Chase: Peterbone, right?
Pettibone nods. He doesn't dare correct him.
Chase: When you were a kid, what did you wanna be when you grew up Peterbone?
Pettibone: A ballplayer.
Chase: THAT IS CORRECT! Now, when you signed, what did you wanna be?
Pettibone: Uh...
Chase: Go on. It's not a trick question.
Pettibone: Uh....
Cliff Lee: (chewing gum.) You wanted to be remembered.
Chase: Fucking A! You wanted to be remembered. You're gonna look back in a couple years, and it's all gonna be a blur, boys. And right now, you know what people remember? They remember you suck.
Chase: All of you. You all suck. Everyone in this room. We all fucking suck. You wanna talk about the giant elephant now? Yeah. for all I know this is my last game in this uniform. You too Jim.
Rollins looks around. Utley looks at Pettibone.
Chase: I got my ring. You want one of these? You think you're gonna get one playing like this? Fuck LA. I'll be damned if I'm gonna spend my sunset in the sunshine, sunshine. When you go out there tonight? Before you throw a pitch, turn around and look at me and Jimmy. Then ask yourself how you'll feel if we ain't behind you...
- Jonathan Pettibone was immaculate tonight. Hitting 95 on the radar gun, striking out 6. He walked two batters, and gave up just two hits before surrendering a solo home run in the 5th.
- In the third inning, Pettibone was in trouble. With one out, and a Delmon Young error, Starling Marte stole second, Russell Martin walked. And Andrew McCutchen hit a solid single up the middle. Should have scored a run.
- But Utley made a SPECTACULAR DIVING PLAY and the runners held. When I say spectacular, think god himself flying through the sky. Like an angel. It was the play that defined the game, the way he has done it a thousand times before. Different but the same. One careless, reckless, no fear of injury because that's how you fucking do it all out Pete Rose style catch the ball and worry about the bruises later and save the game play. The bases were loaded but the rally was killed.
- Pettibone struck out Garrett Jones with the bases loaded to end the inning.
- In the first inning, Howard Drew a 12 pitch at bat. Mired in an 0-20 slump heading into the game, he had two hits, both to the opposite field, and scored the games first run with an RBI shot in the top of the sixth. at the end of the inning it was 3-0 Phillies.
- In the seventh inning, Phillipe Aumont got hit hard. Line drive rockets. Jordy Mercer hit a rocket to left, but Dom Brown side stepped and threw an off balance rocket to Utley at second, to get Mercer by a foot. It wasn't pretty but he got through it.
- The 8th inning saw JC Ramirez replace Aumont. Walk, flyout. pitching change. In comes Bastardo to face the lefty Garret Jones, who was promplty replaced by righty Brandon Inge, who promptly struck out. Two down. Bastardo then walked Pedro Alvarez, and gave up a single to Neil Walker to load em up. Bastardo was replaced by Justin DeFratus, who promplty struck out Jordy Mercer on five pitches. Two bases loaded jams. One game. 0 runs.
- Last I saw, Papelbon did not blow the save. The Phillies won 3-1. Against the best team in baseball. And for one night, I cherished Chase Utley. For one play, he reminded me about everything I love about him and this team. And if they don't come through, and if the unthinkable happens, a part of me will die inside.
Source: FanGraphs