Longtime Philadelphia Phillies Ace Cole Hamels Retires From Major League Baseball
After 15 excellent seasons in Major League Baseball, four-time All-Star Cole Hamels has retired.
He had been in the San Diego Padres organization attempting a comeback bid, but has elected to hang 'em up.
All in all, Hamels was one of the best lefties of his generation, making the four All-Star teams and helping the Phillies win the World Series back in 2008. He was named the MVP of the World Series that season as the Phillies beat the Rays.
He finishes his career having thrown 2,698 lifetime innings. He went 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA. He had nine different seasons of double-digit wins in his career. He played with the Phillies, Rangers, Cubs and Atlanta Braves.
He was most productive in Philadelphia, winning that World Series and winning 114 career games. He pitched in the playoffs in eight separate seasons, making 17 career playoff appearances. He had seven career playoff wins and a 3.41 ERA.
He received Cy Young votes in four different seasons, finishing as high as fifth in 2013.
For good measure, he also had two career home runs at the plate.
Injuries took their toll on Hamels at the end of his career. He threw just 3.1 innings for the Braves in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and did not pitch in 2021 or 2022, which prompted his comeback attempt here in 2023.
He'll certainly be in consideration for eventual honoring from the Phillies and is likely to get some Hall of Fame votes down the road.
Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media
Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
