Los Angeles Dodgers veteran second baseman Chase Utley has been on some phenomenal teams throughout the course of his 15-year career, including the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies that won the World Series.
None of those teams were anything quite like the 2017 Dodgers, though, as they have won 44 of their last 52 games and currently hold baseball’s best record by a wide margin at 79-33. The Dodgers’ recent 43-7 run was the best 50-game stretch in baseball history since 1912.
Expectations are sky-high for this Dodgers team, especially considering the organization has not reached or won a World Series since 1988.
But Utley, being the wise veteran that he is, does not want the team to get too far ahead of themselves in spite of their overwhelming success.
In a recent interview with David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports Radio, Utley commented on the Dodgers’ current run and the importance of continue to taking things day-by-day:
“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s always a work in progress but guys are continuously trying to improve on whatever they need to improve on and that’s a good sign. You never want to be complacent in this game, there’s always someone trying to take your job so trying to improve on a daily basis, in my opinion, is an important factor to winning.”
“As a baseball player you realize you can’t look too far ahead and you can’t really look too far behind. You got try to stay focused on a daily basis and put a game plan together, whatever that may be, on a way to win. So far we’ve done a good job of that and I imagine we’ll continue to do that.”
The Dodgers hold a 15-game lead in the National League West entering play Wednesday, and a fifth consecutive division title is all but a formality at this stage. Their trade for Yu Darvish at the non-waiver deadline has only intensified expectations come October.
Although Utley re-signed with the Dodgers to fill a utility role off the bench, which is a first for him, it hasn’t led to any friction or clubhouse discord. Manager Dave Roberts has regularly praised Utley for accepting his role and continuing to produce when called upon.
