Dodgers’ Utley to retire at season’s end
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chase Utley is set to retire at the end of the 2018 season, he announced at a news conference Friday.
“I transitioned to a part-time player, something new for me but I took it in stride,” said Utley, who joked at the start of the news conference that he was signing a five-year extension. “Also, a part-time strength coach, part-time pitching coach, occasionally part-time catching coach as well as a part-time general manager. The thing I’m having the most difficult time with is being a part-time dad. So that’s really the reason I’m shutting it down. I’m ready to be a full-time dad.
“There’s a lot of things letting me know it’s time. The main reason is to spend time with my family.”
Utley has two sons, Benjamin (6 years old) and Maxwell (3).
Utley, 39, has played 16 seasons in the majors. He started his career with Philadelphia, where he made six All-Star teams. The Phillies traded him to the Dodgers in August 2015.
This season, he is batting .231 in 57 games for the Dodgers. He has one home run and 14 RBIs. On his career, he has a .276 batting average with 259 home runs and 1,025 RBIs.
He has appeared in three World Series, five National League Championship Series and eight NL Division Series. He is the third member of the 2008 Phillies World Series team to announce his retirement this year, joining Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth.
“Going from making several All-Star teams to being a part-time player kind of wrenches your pride a little bit,” Utley said. “My goal, the reason I came [to L.A.], was to win a championship. I didn’t want to get in the way of that. If I’m part of it, great. If not, I’m still happy.”
The Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of last year’s World Series.
The faithful in Philadelphia, where Utley played for 12-plus seasons, will have another chance to see him in action when the Dodgers play visit the Phillies from July 23-25.
–Field Level Media
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