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Phillies fans honor Jimmy Rollins

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Jimmy Rollins has long been a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love, and for good reason. The former Phillies great was drafted by the team in the second round of the 1996 draft and played fifteen eventful seasons for the club.

Last night, “J-Roll” returned to Philadelphia for the first time as a visitor as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The warm welcome began when public address announcer Dan Baker introduced the starting lineups, and grew to a standing ovation when Rollins came to the plate. There was also a “WELCOME BACK JIMMY” message written across the giant video board in left field.

Event though he was clearly touched by the ovation from the crowd, Rollins was able to keep his emotions in check.

“We’re here for bigger things, it’s about winning and losing, not just me coming back to Philadelphia,” he pointed out before going 2-for-5 with a double in the Dodgers’ 6-2 loss. “We have games to win and games to play.”

It was not to be for Rollins’ new team on Tuesday night as Maikel Franco’s seventh inning grand slam proved to be the difference in the game. It was Philadelphia’s fourth win in their last five games and improved them to a major league best 13-3 after the All-Star Break.

Rollins has struggled at the plate in his first season in L.A, hitting just .219, but does have eleven home runs.

He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in franchise history, holding many records. In his fifteen seasons with the Phillies, Rollins compiled a franchise-record 2,385 hits. He also has the most doubles in team history and the third most runs scored. No Phillies fan will ever forget his magical 2007 season where he was named the National League’s most valuable player, when he hit a career high 30 home runs and drove in 94 runs.

 

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