ALLENTOWN, Pa. — To hear Dave Shaw tell it, he became a Phillies fan in a way that will resonate with people from all across the region.
- UK Phillies fan Dave Shaw visited Coca-Cola Park in Allentown on Friday
- Shaw has been a Phillies fan since 2012, despite living overseas
- He runs a popular Twitter account, @UKPHillies, with nearly 15,000 followers
Because it turns out that Chase Utley had a lot to do with it.
On Friday, Shaw was at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, recounting stories about Utley.
But Shaw isn’t like most Phillies fans.
He hails from England and documents his passion for baseball — and the Phillies — on the popular Twitter account @UKPhillies, which has nearly 15,000 followers.
He said his story started in June 2012, when he found himself at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia more by happenstance than anything else. Utley had just returned from a rehab assignment from a recurring knee injury.
The second baseman sauntered up to bat to a deafening roar as the Led Zeppelin song “Kashmir” blared through the stadium.
You don’t really need to set the scene beyond that to figure out what happened next.
“Chase came up to bat and it was his first at-bat since coming off the DL [injured list] at the time," Shaw said. "And I could tell he was a big deal because everyone had ‘Utley’ on the back of their jerseys.
"So I thought, OK, this guy’s got a huge ovation and people were going crazy and saying, ‘The season’s gonna start now.’ And just…he hits a home run literally meters away from where I sat.”
The rest, as they say, is history. The sheer size of the South Philly sports complex, the smells at the ballpark, the crack of the bat and Utley’s tactical, half-stroke swing that launched a ball to deep right center field enamored Shaw in a way that cemented his Phillies fandom for life.
On Friday, during another visit stateside by Shaw and nearing the end of his whirlwind tour of Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs also made his trip to the ballpark one to remember.
Shaw was met by IronPigs media relations manager Mike Ventola and director of merchandise Mike Luciano. He got some swag, a tour of the ballpark and memories to take back across the pond at a time when Utley — now Major League Baseball’s ambassador to the UK — is working to grow the game in Europe.
Shaw rubbed elbows with the Phillies legend at Passyunk, a Philly sports bar in London, during the 2022 World Series and called him a “super nice” guy.
“We were having a big event just before game one of the World Series," Shaw said. "And the rumor was that he was coming down, but we didn't think too much of it. But he came down with his wife and, you know, we thought he'd be there for an hour or so. But he was there for a good three, four hours talking to everybody.
“He was asking us as many questions as we were asking him, like recommendations for London or how do we follow the games over here.”
The story of Shaw’s dedication to the team – which typically involves staying up for games that, in England's time zone, end in the wee hours of the morning — has taken on a life of its own.
The Phillies even rolled out the red carpet for him during a game in 2018.
“I was surprised when I came back [to London in 2012] and said I went to a Phillies game and [people] were like, ‘Phillies fans are trash’ and all that," he said.
"I’m like, ‘No. You just don’t get it.’ I think people just don’t get it because it’s such a passionate fanbase. So I got the passion straightaway, which it sort of gave me a link to the city already before I’d even been to a game.
Can not thank @IronPigs enough for a great morning, with a tour of the beautiful Coca Cola Park, absolutely love the ballpark!
— UK Phillies (@UKPhillies) January 6, 2023
Great to talk to @ssigafoos too!
Can’t wait to come back for a game! pic.twitter.com/ijEFVrxW1n
“It’s the first time I’d been to Philadelphia so just walking around the whole city and some of the history around in downtown was great for me. I started to feel that affiliation already, you know, that people are passionate.
"It’s like being back home where I’m from. People are passionate for their sports team.”
Shaw’s stops this week before before arriving in Allentown included Wayne, Delaware County; Paoli and Valley Forge in Chester County; Lancaster County and more. He plans to return in a few months, and not just to spend more time in Philadelphia.
Shaw said he has never watched a minor league game in person, but following his tour of Coca-Cola Park, he was offered tickets to the IronPigs home opener against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 4, and said he plans to be there sitting among a hopefully sold-out crowd and taking it all in.
He described his decade-plus experience of fandom the way only a true Phillies fan can: “The highest of points outweigh the low points, but you’ve gotta go through it together.”
