By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
While Roy Halladay's May 2010 perfect game aired on Sunday, one player who played behind the late National Baseball Hall of Famer during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies — first baseman Ryan Howard — received a special honor in his native state.
Along with Jeff Suppan and others, Howard, 39, was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield. Since 1994, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments made by athletes of the state's past, while "inspiring future athletes to succeed." All of its inductees have "helped mold Missouri sports to what it is today."
Ryan Howard with one more curtain call #Phillies pic.twitter.com/fIuTGpnkfY
— MSHOF (@MoSportsHall) January 28, 2019
"What an honor. It's one of those things where you just never really think about it, or really see something like this happening, because when you get in the game, you're not necessarily playing for this to happen," Howard said. "To be able to have someone recognize your attributes and what you have been able to accomplish over your professional career … and getting an honor in this type of situation is pretty cool."
.@ryanhoward comments on his @MoSportsHall induction and if he ever had the chance to sign with his hometown @Cardinals.
📹: @OzarksOzone #Phillies pic.twitter.com/UoDNpbk6Xt
— Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) January 28, 2019
The Phillies selected Howard out of Missouri State University in the fifth round of the 2001 amateur draft. In his first full season as the starting first baseman in 2006, Howard slugged his way to the National League Most Valuable Player and Silver Slugger awards, slashing .313/.425/.659 with a MLB-best 58 home runs and 149 RBI. The St. Louis, Missouri, native would have at least 31 home runs and 108 RBI over the next five seasons, up to and including the franchise's 102-win season in 2011.
Howard's final season in red pinstripes, 2016, featured his seventh season slugging at least 25 home runs. This tied Howard with Del Ennis for the second-most in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt (13).
Overall in his career, Howard's 382 home runs places him tied with Frank Howard and Hall of Famer Jim Rice for 67th all-time. In 1,572 games, Howard slashed .258/.343/.515 with 1,475 hits and 848 runs scored in 6,531 plate appearances. Howard finished first in Phillies franchise history in games played at first base (1,478), second in home runs (382) and RBI (1,194), third in extra-base hits (680), fifth in total bases (2,940) and 10th in doubles (277).
The Phillies will honor Howard's career in a special retirement ceremony on July 14, which follows similar recognition to be held for Jimmy Rollins (May 4) and Chase Utley (June 21). Howard officially retired on Sept. 4 after a 13-year Major League career.
