PHILADELPHIA _ As each baseball took flight, a sea of red rose sto salute a player wearing the visiting grays of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The sports fans of this city carry a reputation for a charming blend of passion and poison, but they have never been considered traitorous. Only one man can make them root against their own.
They know Chase Utley as "The Man" in this town, a nickname bestowed upon him a decade ago by legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas, and his return to Citizens Bank Park in a 15-5 victory created a series of wonders. He spent 15 years inside the Phillies organization, and the crowd rewarded him with unceasing adulation.
The first ovation he received delayed the game's first pitch. The fans showered him with cheers whenever he appeared at the plate. The most remarkable moment occurred in the fifth, when Utley lifted a solo home run into the right-field stands. The fans did not jeer or groan _ they jumped to their feet and remained until Utley completed a curtain call from the visitor's dugout.
The gratitude extended into absurdity two innings later, when Utley launched a grand slam to finish an eight-run inning. The same sequence unfolded as Utley rounded the bases. The fans reacted with delight. Utley maintained his stone-faced expression as he rounded the bases. Then he left the visitors' dugout to greet the fans who adored him for so long.
The Dodgers (66-52) mashed three home runs off Philadelphia starter Vince Velasquez. Kenta Maeda limited the Phillies to two solo homers during six innings. Yasmani Grandal reached base four times, and launched a two-run homer in the sixth inning that, for a brief moment, took some attention away from Utley.
The city feted Utley like a visiting dignitary, returning here for the first time since the Phillies traded him last August. CSN Philly filmed his arrival at the Dodgers hotel on Monday evening. Fans mobbed him for autographs along the left-field line. A member of the local media asked about the status of his residence here.
"We still have a place," Utley said during a news conference before the game. "We're working on selling it. So if anybody in this room is looking for a nice condo downtown, come talk to me."
When Utley led off in the top of the first, the public address announcer introduced him with gusto, as the strain's of his longtime walkup song, "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin," pealed through the ballpark. The standing ovation lasted 81 seconds.
Utley doffed his cap and saluted the panorama around him. At first base, his longtime teammate Ryan Howard beamed. He entered the batter's box, but the applause did not cease. His face bore an expression that resembled a grimace flirting with a smile. He stepped back out of the batter's box, waved to the group and pumped his fist.
The cheers did not end so much as segue into another pop, this one registering a strike thrown by Velasquez. He struck out the side in the first. Maeda responded with a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the inning.
With two outs in the second, Maeda faced catcher Cameron Rupp. Maeda tried to flip a first-pitch curveball for a strike. Rupp was not fooled. He thumped a solo shot.
The Dodgers pulled ahead in the fifth inning. Grandal led off with his second single of the game. Two batters later, Howie Kendrick turned on a 94-mph fastball for his eighth homer of the season.
Utley came to the plate soon after. He waited for the cheering to fade and feasted on a fastball from Velasquez. His blast caused the crowd to gasp, a moment of shock followed by an extended roar. Utley sprinted around the bases.
A fan held a sign that read "A Phillie Forever," but Utley ducked his head inside the Dodgers dugout as his teammates greeted him with appreciation. Soon he climbed the steps to wave to the crowd.
The Philadelphia bullpen self-destructed in the seventh inning. The Dodgers scored a trio of runs on a hit batsmen and two walks, all with the bases loaded. Then came Utley, who walloped a fastball from reliever Michael Mariot for the grand slam.
