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The Phillies’ last World Series MVP has retired.
Cole Hamels has been placed on the voluntarily retired list, the Padres announced Friday.
Hamels had a special run for the 2008 champion Phillies, winning both NLCS and World Series MVP. The lanky lefty with an exceptional changeup went 4-0 that postseason and sported a 1.80 ERA.
Selected 17th in the 2002 MLB draft out of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, Hamels debuted for the Phillies in 2006 and threw five scoreless innings against the Reds. He was masterful in his final start as a Phillie, striking out 13 Cubs and tossing a no-hitter at Wrigley Field.
The 39-year-old made three All-Star games during his time in Philadelphia and finished 114-90 with a 3.30 ERA.
He had shorter stints with the Rangers and Cubs, plus a single MLB appearance for the Braves in September of 2020. Hamels was hampered by injuries the past several years and ultimately unsuccessful in his attempts to make a comeback.
His years with the Phillies created plenty of lasting memories.
“We had a special group. … We still stay in contact because there’s kind of that brotherhood,” Hamels said last year on the Takeoff with John Clark podcast. “It’s because we experienced something so amazing together; we just cherish that.
“It’s because of the city, the organization, and just the game of baseball. Knowing what it holds in people’s hearts, it’ll never be forgotten.”
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