Jim Thome was a fan favorite in Philadelphia for many years. He also had a big fan next to him in the clubhouse in Chase Utley.
Thome ushered in a new era of Phillies baseball at Citizens Bank Park and Chase Utley flourished into one of the best players this city has ever seen alongside him.
The influence of Thome is not lost on Utley who shared a photo on Tuesday posing with the Thome statue outside of Progressive Field in Cleveland where the Dodgers are playing this week.
"Couldn't resist the picture opportunity. Thanks big Jim for being an inspiration to me. #jimthome," Utley wrote on his Instagram.
Thome was inducted into the Phillies' Wall of Fame last summer and gave a lovely speech. During that ceremony, a video message from Utley described what an honor it was for Chase to play alongside his childhood hero.
Now Chase has another photo to go into his collection.
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