Cole Hamels was absolutely dominant last night on the mound, throwing his first complete game since September 2011 and his first shut out since September 2009 in his 100th career start at Citizens Bank Park. Today, Hamels spoke about why he re-signed with the Phillies.
Check out today's interview from MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM with Jim Memolo and Jeff Nelson. You can listen to it here. A few highlights:
To Hamels, pitching is not just the mechanics of the game, but rather an experience of a town, and Philadelphia gives so much meaning to the game.
"There's a lot more than goes on than throwing a baseball. You want to throw a baseball in a place that is well-recieved…and the City of Philadelphia has been great to not only myself and my family and my wife and kids but the fans."
The sellout streak ended the other night. Does that mean anything?
"They're going to start another streak."
Hamels also stated how much he believed in his Phillies team. Despite what teammates Jonathan Papelbon and Cliff Lee told him about the thrill of shopping for a new deal, Hamels was sold on Philadelphia.
"It's really hard to leave an organization that has been so great to me and to my family…and the fans have been outstanding…and knowing you're going to win. You don't want to go to a place that's going to be a struggle before you are going to win."
So, despite the tough year, Hamels believes the Phillies are going to be winners over and over again. That's a great feeling.
