Cole Hamels announced Friday afternoon that he will be retiring alongside Padres teammate Craig Stammen (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today).
The former Phillie hurled his last full season in 2019 with the Cubs, and went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA. He last pitched in a game for Atlanta in 2020, and signed late in the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers but never pitched because of arm issues. Following three surgeries over the last few years — to his left shoulder, his right knee and his left foot — he was looking to catch a spring training deal, which unfortunately fell through.
Despite this, during his 15-year MLB run, the 2008 World Series MVP boast an outstanding career 163-122 record, alongside a 3.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and four All-Star selections.
Specifically, as a Phialdelphia Phillie, Cole made a name for himself as one of, if not the best starter the team has ever seen. A solid first round pick by the Phillies in the 2002 draft, Hamels began his career with the team straight out of high school. After battling injuries in 2004 and 2005, he finally made his debut in 2006.
For the next 10 seasons, he started just shy of 300 games, posting a 3.28 ERA, and threw up an outstanding 3.09 ERA in 13 postseason starts for the Fightins’. In fact, the starting trio of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt were practically unbeatable within this stint, earning them the nickname of H2O.
Shockingly, Hamels never won a Cy Young award, and will likely fall short of being a Hall of Famer. Nonetheless, he’s a front runner to one day be placed on the Phillies Wall of Fame, along with a slew of his former teammates.
Needless to say, we will miss you Cole!
