Let’s get in a sentimental mood as Rollins suits up to play AGAINST the Phillies

Tonight in Los Angeles, for the first time in his lengthy career, Jimmy Rollins will play in a Phillies game for the other team.

For the first 2,090 games of his professional baseball career, Jimmy Rollins played in a Phillies game wearing a red cap and a pinstripe or gray uniform (and at times a powder blue alternate or cream home jersey). But not tonight. With the Phillies opening up a west coast swing in Los Angeles, it will be the first time the Phillies take the field and Rollins will be in the other dugout. It’s about to get weird, and sentimental all at the same time.

No joke. I’m writing this as I am wearing my Rollins Phillies shirsey, the one with the 2008 World Series championship logo on the sleeve. A 15-year stay in Philadelphia resulted in plenty of awesome moments, plays and memories involving Rollins, but the 2008 World Series will forever be the top moment in my eyes. Ironically, that ride to the 2008 World Series (and again in 2009) came at the expense of the Dodgers. Rollins delivered what was essentially the knockout blow of the Dodgers in 2009 with a walk off base hit against Jonathan Broxton in Game Four of the NLCS.

The Phillies were down 4-3 and down to their last out in Game 4 of that series. A loss would have evened the series up and guaranteed a return trip to Los Angeles. Instead, Rollins managed to hit one into the gap to bring the game-tying and game-winning runs home, giving the Phillies a decisive 3-1 series lead. The Phillies jumped all over the Dodgers in Game 5, winning 10-4 to punch a ticket back to the World Series.

Everybody has their favorite Jimmy Rollins moment though, and tonight is an opportunity to share and remember the good times as Rollins sees his pro career playing out on the west coast.

Rollins was traded to the Dodgers in the offseason, marking the end of an era for one of the all-time greats in Phillies franchise history. In exchange, the Phillies received pitching prospect Zach Eflin and Tim Windle. Rollins has reached the midway point of the season hitting just .208, putting him well on pace for his lowest batting average in a season in his career. Rollins was on the decline at the plate in his final years ion Philadelphia, so his downward trend continuing in Los Angeles is no surprise.

One day Rollins will be a lock for the Phillies Wall of fame. Maybe he’ll even get into the Hall of Fame someday. To most of us, he will forever be a Phillie for life.

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