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A Philly forever: Former Phillies ace Cole Hamels retires after 15 seasons in the MLB

It appears the last member of the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series team has called it a career.

Longtime Phils ace Cole Hamels was officially placed on the voluntarily retired list by the San Diego Padres on Friday, according to a report by USA Today MLB columnist Bob Nightengale.

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels holds his MVP trophy after Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008.
Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels holds his MVP trophy after Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008.

Before the season, Hamels, 39, signed a one-year, $2 million contract with San Diego as part of a comeback attempt that has spanned the last few seasons.

Hamels last pitched in the big leagues in 2020 after having shoulder surgery in 2021. The California native signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Dodgers on Aug. 4, 2021, but that attempt was cut short due to injuries.

Most of Hamels 15 seasons were spent in Philadelphia, where he racked up numerous allocates before being traded to the Texas Rangers for three players in 2015. His last start with the Phillies was a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs on July 25, 2015 — six days before he was traded.

During his tenure in Philly, the 2002 first-round pick helped lead the team to two World Series appearances and five-straight division titles. He won the 2008 World Series MVP and NLCS MVP, going 4-0 with an ERA of 1.80 in five postseason starts.

Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels and center fielder Odubel Herrera celebrate after Hamels' no-hitter at Wrigley Field in 2015.
Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels and center fielder Odubel Herrera celebrate after Hamels' no-hitter at Wrigley Field in 2015.

In 10 seasons with the Phillies, Hamels had a 114-90 record with 1,844 strikeouts in 1,930 innings, according to baseballreference.com.

Overall, Hamels went 163-122 and struck out 2,560 batters in 2,698 innings for the Phillies, Rangers, Cubs and Braves. He was a four-time All-Star and had four top-10 Cy Young award finishes.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Former Phillies ace Cole Hamels retires after 15 seasons in the MLB