A game for the record books
Chase Utley and Ryan Howard put themselves in the record books in back-to-back at-bats in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia. Each tied an offensive mark originally set before Phil Coke, the Yankee pitcher who faced the duo, was born. Utley matched Reggie Jackson, who hit five home runs in the 1977 Fall Classic. Jackson, incidentally, was in his first year in Yankee pinstripes. Howard tied Willie Wilson, whose 12 strikeouts in the 1980 World Series were at the hands of none other than the Phillies. (Howard went on to set a new record in Game 6.)
How ‘bout that?
How about Chase Utley? His five home runs against Yankee pitching were one fewer than all of his teammates combined for during the six-game series. Utley absolutely carried the offense, either scoring or driving in 15 of the 27 runs the Phillies put up against the Yankee hurlers.