Ryan Howard played his last game in a Phillies uniform against the Mets this past Sunday on Oct. 2nd when he went 0 for 4 in the game and received a touching ceremony beforehand in front of the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park to honor him for his career.
“Philadelphia will always be home.” Howard said during the pregame ceremony. Manager Pete Mackanin pulled Howard from the game in the top of the ninth inning and the fans sent him off with a standing ovation as he exited the field.
Howard played in 112 games this year, posting a .196 batting average with 25 home runs and 59 RBI’s in 331 at-bats. He had seven seasons with at least 25 home runs with the Phillies and he is now tied at 67th on the all-time home runs list with 382 along with Frank Howard and Hall of Famer Jim Rice.
Howard’s first and last home run with the Phillies came against the Mets, who he destroyed with 48 all-time home runs against them, which tied for the fourth most home runs hit against the Mets all-time.
Howard will finish his Phillies career ranked second in home runs (382), second in RBI’s (1,192), fourth in slugging (.515), first in grand slams (15), seventh in games played (1,569), tenth in doubles (270), fifth in total bases (2,940), and seventh in walks (709). He is by far the best first baseman the franchise has ever had and many fans know Phillies baseball will not be the same without him.
“Ryan, on countless occasions, put us on his back and carried us to the finish line,” Chase Utley said. “He was such an important part of our success, and I hope Philadelphia recognizes that.”
Howard broke into the league in 2004 and one year later, he was named National League Rookie of the Year, posting a .288 average with 22 home runs, 63 RBI’s, and a .924 OPS in only 88 games, but he was only getting started. Howard followed up the Rookie of the Year by being named the National League MVP after a monster season where he hit a franchise best 58 home runs in a single season and knocked in 149 runs, leading the league in both of those categories, just barely missing out on the Triple Crown.
Howard had six straight seasons with 30+ home runs and 100 RBI’s, helping propel the Phillies to five National League East titles from 2007 to 2011 and two World Series appearances, with the Phillies winning it in 2008.
Howard’s career took a turn for the worst in game five of the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals, the last time the Phillies made the playoffs, tearing his Achilles after making the final out in the game and he was never fully able to get back to his old form.
From 2012 to 2013, Howard played in a total of 151 games, combining for 25 home runs and 99 RBI’s, but it seems the Achilles injury got the best of him because in the next three seasons after that, Howard never reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s in a season ever again.
He endured a great deal abuse for his lack of production over the recent years. However, the fans saw he never let it get to his head and he deserves credit for sticking it out after he watched player after player from the 2008 World Series team leave the Phillies, making him the only one left.
“He loved the pressure and wanted to be the man at the plate when the game mattered most,” Jimmy Rollins said. “During our run, we leaned on him many times for big hits and clutch home runs and he found ways to deliver.”
It’s no coincidence the Phillies started to decline as Ryan Howard did because without Howard, the Phillies had no one else in their lineup whose presence alone could change the game like he did and as a result of the Achilles injury, Howard was never able to get back to his old form, who could inflict fear in the opposing pitcher’s eyes with just the sight of him at the plate.
Howard’s departure marks the end of a remarkable era in Phillies franchise history. Howard’s career with the Phillies may be over, but he has continued to express his will to keep on playing baseball in 2017.
“There’s still more in the tank,” Howard said during the post game press conference. “I tell my wife all the time, I don’t know when it’s time. I just want to get it all out of the tank and have no regrets.”
