Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:24 pm EDT

What a night for Chase Utley(notes), who set a major league record and hit a pair of home runs to help the Phillies beat the Yankees 6-1 in Game 1 of the World Series.
Utley drew a walk in the first inning to reach base for the 26th consecutive playoff game. In the third, Utley got just enough on a CC Sabathia(notes) pitch to homer to right field. The at-bat, which lasted nine pitches and included five foul balls, was masterful.
Utley followed up in the sixth with another homer — this was a no-doubter — to the bleachers in right field, giving the Phillies and Cliff Lee(notes) a 2-0 lead.
"I was able to get two pitches to hit and I didn't miss them," Utley said.
And what about the Phillies' supposed underdog status?
"We have confidence," he said. "We know we have a good team."
Pretty good for a guy supposedly nursing injuries. Utley also had a big opener in the World Series last season, homering against the Rays in Game 1.
But if you haven't seen Utley with his batting helmet off before, you might be wondering: What's up with the greasy kids stuff in his hair?
At first it looks like he has an uncontrollable sweating problem above the neck, but it's not his glands. In case you missed the reports last season, Utley uses something called LA Looks hair gel to ensure he never has "hat hair." This recently was confired by Philly fan @Aprouja, who has heard Utley say as much in a radio interview.
Real slick, Chase. And it's a hit with fellow major leaguers like Mariners left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith(notes).
Big League Stew is an MLB blog edited by Kevin Kaduk. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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