2008 World Series MVP and Philidelphia Phillies legend Cole Hamels retired on Friday morning.
The 39-year-old signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in February, hoping to jump back to the big leagues. 2021 shoulder surgery held him from appearing in an official game with the Padres organization.
After coming into the league in 2006, Hamels made his first All-Star team in ‘07 while finishing sixth in Cy Young voting, solidifying his role in the stacked Phillies pitching rotation of the late 2000s.
In the 2008 playoffs, Hamels had one of the best postseasons in recent history. He pitched 35 innings and let in just seven runs with 30 strikeouts and eight walks. Hamels pushed Philidelphia through the Dodgers to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series.
The Phillies didn’t lose a game he started during that World Series run, as Hamels was named the most valuable player of both the NLCS and the World Series.
Hamels played nine seasons for the Phillies before being dealt during the 2015 trade deadline to the Texas Rangers. He left a good taste in the fans of Philidelphia, going to Wrigley and hurling a no-hitter in his last start as a member of the Phillies.
Hamels bounced around the league for another six years. Spending three years in Texas and two in Chicago before finishing his career as a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2020.
Hamels tallied a borderline hall-of-fame career in his 15 years in the league. He finished his career two innings shy of 2700 innings pitched, racking up 2560 strikeouts and a whopping 59 Wins Above Replacement (WAR.)
Cole Hamels was the last member of the 2008 Phillies still playing in the majors, closing a chapter on one of the teams that inspired my love of baseball.
