Chase Utley authors perfect responses to Mets 99-mph message
If Noah Syndergaard thought he was going to rattle Chase Utley on Saturday, he and the New York Mets had another thing coming.
Two things, in fact. As in a solo home run and a grand slam that helped fuel a Dodgers 9-1 victory.
[Related: Noah Syndergaard ejected after throwing pitch behind Chase Utley]
Like he did in last year’s World Series, Syndergaard attempted to send a message and set a tone with his intimidating fastball. In the third inning, he fired one 99-mph that fortunately sailed behind Utley to the backstop. Given Utley’s history with the Mets, there was little question what the message was about. That’s why home plate umpire Adam Harami wasted no time throwing Syndergaard out of the game, and then sent Terry Collins out right behind him for arguing the ejection.
On this night though, the entire approach backfired. Not only was Syndergaard immediately ejected, which cost New York arguably their best starter right now, Utley was hardly fazed by staring down the 99-mph pitch as it zipped behind him. Instead, it seemed to sharpen his focus even more, which is saying a lot given the circumstances and his career-long success against Mets pitching.
Entering Saturday’s game, Utley had homered 36 times in his career against New York. That’s six more than the next closest team, the Miami Marlins. Now that number is 38, as Utley dialed up not one, but two absolutely perfect responses to Syndergaard’s heater.
First, he launched a solo home run against Logan Verrett that opened the scoring in the sixth inning. Then, one inning later, he ripped a grand slam to right-center off lefty Hansel Robles that had Mets fans and even the Mets Twitter account fuming.
That’s when you know the feelings are real.
It seems no matter what approach the Mets take with Utley, the 37-year-old second baseman remains one or two steps ahead. That’s backed up by his eight RBIs through the first two games of this series, which includes his game-tying three-run double in the ninth inning on Friday. Only Curtis Granderson could save the day for New York then, and it wasn’t with a 99-mph fastball. He hit a walk-off home run.
[Report: Mets unhappy with Dodgers defensive positioning tactics]
It’s also backed by the poise he’s shown in the face of a hostile environment. You don’t have to like Chase Utley or what happened last October, but you have to understand he’s never going to back down from the challenges in front of him.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
