Staff Blog
Utley Did it on Purpose, Basebrawl Coming
categories | Chase Utley, baseball fights
One of the more under reported aspects of this season is the obvious mutual dislike between the Phillies and the Nationals. Lets take a quick look at their history …
- Last year, in the midst of the Phillies’ playoff chase the Nationals broke Chase Utley’s hand
- A year later the Phils hit the Nats’ star, Ryan Zimmerman, taking him out of a game
- The Nationals respond immediately, hitting Utley again
- Charlie says the Nats were “absolutely throwing” at Utley, and noted that Flores was set up behind Utley
- The next time the two teams play five players get hit, including Chase, again. For comparison’s sake, the average NL team has been hit 58 times, so in a normal game the chances of a HBP (by either team) is about .8
- The next night Utley destroys their catcher – the same catcher who set up behind him – leaving him injured. Chase admitted after the game that he had planned to break for home when Lannan (the guy who hit him last year and earlier this year) threw to first.“[Lannan] kind of has a slow delivery to the plate and a slow delivery
to first base,” Utley said. “I figured, if he picks off, I might have a
possibility of stealing home. I was ready for it.” He has to assume that 1. it’s going to be a close play and 2. with a throw coming from first he’s got a chance to blindside Flores - oh yeah, they play tonight
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| via Philly.com |
I’m not saying that their will be a fight (despite the misleading headline) I’m simply saying that the fact that no one is talking about the fact that these teams have an obvious reason to fight confuses me.
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