'Silver Fox' Chase Utley preserved Rich Hill's perfect game bid with an unreal diving catch
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On Wednesday night, Rich Hill had it all going. His curveball snapped and his fastball kept the Pirates off-balance most of the evening, so much so that Hill carried a perfect game until the ninth inning (though he and the Dodgers would lose, 1-0, in 10 innings).
But that was only because of a ridiculous play by the Dodgers' Chase Ultey an inning before. Josh Bell slapped a line drive toward right field, but Utley speared it with the type of play you have to make in situations such as this:
The Dodgers' broadcast crew, Joe Davis and Nomar Garciaparra, referred to Utley as the 'Silver Fox' (which just so happens to be what will be featured on Utley's Players Weekend jersey in a few days) after that play, as the seemingly ageless 38-year-old keeps doing the right thing at the right time for the Dodgers.
The play led to some shocked social media reactions, as you'd expect:
Despite Utley's remarkable play and the fact that Hill made it through nine no-hit innings, it all ended on a walk-off homer from the Pirates' Josh Harrison in the bottom of the tenth:
All in all, a pretty dramatic night at PNC Park.