Phillies World Series hero Cole Hamels placed on retirement list, ending 15-year career
Former Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels is calling it a career. Hamels, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2020, was placed on the voluntarily retired list by the San Diego Padres on Friday.
The move officially ends Hamels' bid to return to the majors. While he had not appeared on a major-league mound since 2020, he spent time in the minors in 2021 and 2023 in hopes he could make one final appearance in the majors.
Shortly after reaching the majors in 2006, Hamels developed into one of the best young pitchers in baseball. He elevated his play during his second season, making the first of four All-Star Game appearances. Hamels finished sixth in National League Cy Young voting in 2007. It was the first of four times he would finish in the top eight of voting for the award.
After another strong regular season in 2008, Hamels etched himself into Philadelphia sports lore with a phenomenal postseason. He pitched in a total of five games during the team's World Series run and gave up seven earned runs over 35 innings, good for a 1.80 ERA.
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Hamels started Games 1 and 5 in the 2008 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. He limited the Rays to four earned runs over 13 innings, earning the World Series MVP award.
The best was yet to come, however. Hamels experienced the finest stretch of his career from 2010 to '14. In that period, he posted a 3.00 ERA over 1,064 2/3 innings. He struck out nearly a batter per inning and posted an ERA+ of 129, meaning his ERA was 29% better than the average pitcher at the time.
During the 2015 season, Hamels was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for multiple prospects. He continued to put up strong numbers in Texas before being traded to the Chicago Cubs during the 2018 season. Hamels posted a 3.81 ERA over 27 starts with Chicago in 2019 but missed a month in the middle of the season due to injuries.
He signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves in the offseason but sustained a shoulder injury in spring training. He made just one start with Atlanta in 2020, giving up three runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Hamels signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, but injuries prevented him from appearing in the majors. He reemerged in 2023, signing a minor-league deal with the Padres, but failed to make it back to the majors.
He finishes his career with a 163-122 record.
