PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Chase Utley grew up a Dodgers fan, so it wasn’t easy to turn them down after he was selected by Los Angeles in the second round of the 1997 amateur draft.
Utley chose to go to UCLA and ended up being the Philadelphia Phillies’ first pick (15th overall) in the 2000 draft. The three-time All-Star second baseman has no regrets about spurning his hometown team’s offer, and he’ll face the Dodgers when the NL championship series begins Thursday night.
“It was a difficult decision,” Utley said. “Obviously, playing professional baseball was a dream of mine, but at that point I thought I was better suited going to college first. The money was there, but for me, it was about growing as a person and the college experience.”
Utley and his father were among the 56,051 fans in the stands when the Dodgers beat Oakland in Game 2 of the 1988 World Series en route to winning the title in five games.
“It was a lot of fun, very exciting,” he said, recalling Orel Hershiser’s three-hitter against the heavily favored Athletics.
—
dy left fielder from his normal No. 2 spot in the lineup to fifth for the AL division series against the Chicago White Sox.
Entering that series, Crawford hadn’t batted in a major league game since hurting his right middle finger on Aug. 9. But Maddon also pointed out that Crawford has a history of driving in big runs.
Not only did the Rays win the best-of-five series in four games, Crawford drove in two runs, scored twice and stole three bases. He’s embraced his new spot, despite going 3-for-14 (.214) against Chicago.
“I like hitting right there,” Crawford said. “It’s a nice, comfortable spot. There ain’t as much pressure. Joe has a way of just making you feel comfortable with it. He talked about it. It’s cool now. When he decides to do things, it usually works.”
Maddon said Crawford will remain in the fifth spot when the Rays begin the AL championship series Friday night against Boston.
“I just like him in the middle of this whole thing right now,” Maddon said. “For me, it tastes pretty good right now.”
—
FACING PAPELBON: Rays rookie Evan Longoria has a simple approach when it comes to Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon.
“We hope we never get to him,” Longoria said. “One of the premier closers in the game. He throws hard and comes right at you. He throws majority fastballs, but it’s 96, 97 (mph) and it’s on the corners and it’s tough to hit.”
ked 19 2-3 scoreless innings over his 12 career postseason appearances. It’s the second-most innings without allowing a run in playoff history, trailing only Joe Niekro’s 20 innings.
“He’s pretty tough,” Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford. “He’s throwing 96, 97 out of the bullpen every night. You know the pitch is coming, and you still can’t hit it. He’s just tough to deal with. He looks intense. You never see him smiling or nothing like that.”
Papelbon converted 41 of 46 save opportunities during the regular season. The right-hander had three outings for the Red Sox during their division series win over the Los Angeles Angels, giving up two hits in five shutout innings.
—
SATISFIED SKIPPER: Joe Torre got more out of this season than an NL West title with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He got a chance to prove he could win without the New York Yankees.
“I didn’t necessarily feel I needed to vindicate myself, I just wanted to see if I could do it somewhere else,” the manager said Wednesday. “It wasn’t that I was looking to get out of New York. I just felt it was time to leave because it wasn’t as comfortable.”
traight first-round exit.
Torre, who will manage the Dodgers against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL championship series starting Thursday night, was reluctant to uproot his family and make the 3,000-mile trek from one coast to the other. At 68, he had no intention of starting over.
But his wife talked him into the move and Torre couldn’t resist the temptation to show he could still take a team deep into October.
“I think the word is satisfaction, more so than vindication,” Torre said. “I was curious, after you’re in one place for so long, you’re not sure your voice carries to other people.”
—
PERCIVAL IMPROVING: Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival, left off the team’s first-round playoff roster because of back tightness, pitched in a pair of instructional league games while the Rays played the Chicago White Sox.
The 39-year old right-hander hopes those two outings make him at least an option for the AL championship series.
“I got to where I could use my old mechanics instead of having to open really early to force the ball in there,” Percival said. “I threw strikes on both sides of the plate. All my off-speed pitches were good. I feel good.”
Percival, who had three stints on the disabled list this season with left hamstring and right knee injuries, finished with 28 saves – but only one after Aug. 13.
-of-seven series against Boston. Team officials have been discussing whether to go with 10 or 11 pitchers.
“No pressure one way or another,” Percival said. “The only thing was so they had the option if they needed me, I’d be ready. If they need somebody, I’ll be ready.”
Add A Comment