Upon being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2015, Chase Utley had already made a name for himself with the Philadelphia Phillies. He received his first big league opportunity in 2003, and within two years, became the club’s everyday second baseman.
Utley quickly endeared himself to the Phillies fanbase with his hustle and overall play, emerging as one of the best players at his position. He was an All-Star from 2006-10 and helped lead the organization to a World Series championship in 2008.
It was also during this time Utley adapted Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” as his walk-up song. The tune wound up sticking with him for his entire career, including his days with the Dodgers.
Utley recently shared the story behind choosing the song, revealing that his wife’s sister introduced him to it, via “Fair Game”:
“Funny story, I wasn’t really for a walk-up song, to be honest with you. I just felt like I was there to play baseball, and I came from an old school environment. It was just starting to get phased in — the walk-up music — nowadays everyone has it. Long story short, I knew I had to pick something, and I talked to my wife about it.
“My wife’s sister is a musician, she said, ‘What about Led Zeppelin, “Kashmir?”’ I couldn’t picture how it went, so she played it for me. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s something that seems a little dramatic. It’s a little intimidating.’ Which if it can create any type of edge as I’m walking to the plate, why not? And I stuck with it, had some success, so I didn’t change it.”
Over the course of Utley’s 16-year career, “Kashmir” became synonymous with his hard-nosed style of play. So much so that song blared on the speakers at Citizens Bank Park every time he returned to Philadelphia as a member of the Dodgers.
Although Utley retired after the 2018 season, he’s remained connected to organization as a SportsNet LA analyst and an advisory role in the front office.
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