Fans show Machado how a star is treated in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA » Chase Utley’s Citizens Bank Park locker was about five away from the one reserved for his newest teammate.

That meant if Manny Machado didn’t gain a feel for the passion of Philadelphia fans for the three hours and 43 minutes of a 7-6 victory over the Phillies, there was always a chance he could hear it from Utley.

Though Utley wasn’t asked Monday about Machado by name, he did share what he’d say were a prominent majorleague free-agent-to-be happen to inquire about Philadelphia.

“If you want to play in front of great fans that want to win, in a beautiful ballpark … ” Utley said, almost stopping right there. “As long as you can deal with the humidity ...”

Machado is a free-agent-tobe, and the Phillies are said to have the money and the disposition to sign the former Oriole at season’s end. That they didn’t trade for him at the All-Star break, allowing the Dodgers to out-bid them with prospects, already has come at a price. For there was Machado lacing a triple down the right field line, then scoring on a shallow sacrifice fly to center to draw Los Angeles into a 5-5 tie in the seventh.

“Manny has the ability to hit the ball line-to-line,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He doesn’t punch the ball a lot. The ball was up and he stayed on it and drove that ball to right field. (Nick Williams) made a nice effort but turned that double into a triple, and credit to Manny for running hard. That was big.”

The Dodgers won when Seranthony Dominguez sputtered in the ninth. That was enough to make the first game of his final (regular-season) series in Philadelphia even more memorable for Utley.

Having announced that he will retire at the end of the season, Utley enjoyed a night of ovations from a larger-thanusual crowd of 33,753. In addition, the Phillies spiced the evening with regular photographs of Utley at various points of his baseball career, from Little League through his 16-year major-league career.

“I tried to stay pretty focused on the game,” Utley said. “I saw one picture of me signing with the Phillies. I saw that, but I looked away quickly. I wish I could have seen that stuff. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see it on video someday.”

Cheered for nearly a minute during introductions, Utley responded by leaving the dugout and delivering a two-handed wave. He also stepped out of the box to allow an ovation to breathe before his first at-bat.

Utley went 0-for-4. But he did lace a hard grounder toward the middle in the eighth that looked like it would score Chris Taylor from second. Tommy Hunter, however, made a nice stop.

“It was fun,” Utley said. “It was intense, and a little emotional, especially after that first at-bat. I don’t know why it is so nerve-wracking, that first atbat. But it is. I am happy the way we played.”

The crowd was largely appreciative of Machado, cheering him loudly in pregame introductions. The pre-game hint of boos increased some as Machado produced. But the treatment of Utley could resonate with any potential free agent.

“Being in the American League, we don’t see him that much,” Utley said. “He’s only been here a short while, but you can see what he can do. He can run. He got that triple, then scored on a shallow fly ball. He did a good job. He also made a good slide. So I am glad he is on our side.”