Ryan Howard could be playing his final games with the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend. He has had a memorable 13-season run with the team. As the Phillies close the 2016 season against the New York Mets, here are some of the highlights of Howard’s career.
Memorable moments
Howard won the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .288 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs in 88 games.
In 2006, he won the NL Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .306 with 58 home runs and 149 RBIs. The 58 home runs is a Phillies team record; the 149 RBIs rank second to Chuck Klein’s 170 in 1930.
On Aug. 28, 2007, Howard hit a two-run walk-off home run in a 4-2 win over the New York Mets. It was the second game amid a four-game sweep and came during an eight-game Phillies winning streak against the Mets to end the season.
The Phillies entered that game five games behind the Mets in the National League East Division. The Phillies went on to win the division, finishing a game ahead of the Mets.
From 2006 to 2009, Howard had 198 home runs and 572 RBIs, easily the most in the majors in both stats. Albert Pujols ranked second with 165 home runs and 491 RBIs.
Specific to his final series of 2016, Howard’s 47 home runs against the Mets are the most among active players. He has hit four grand slams against them, twice as many as he has against any other opponent.
Performance -- and strikeouts -- have come at a price
Howard has the top four single-season strikeout totals in Phillies history. His 1,839 total strikeouts rank second to Mike Schmidt’s 1,883.
Since 2012, Jeff Francoeur (minus-4.7) is the only position player with a lower WAR than Howard (minus-4.3). Howard has made $115 million over that span and will earn another $10 million if the Phillies choose to buy out his contract. (Francoeur has made $15.5 million in that span.)
World Series highlights
In Game 3 of the 2008 World Series, Chase Utley and Howard hit back-to-back home runs to help the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 in a series the Phillies won in five games.
In Game 4 of the 2008 Series, Howard was 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. His opposite-field three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth turned a one-run lead into a 5-1 Phillies advantage. In the eighth, he hit a two-run homer for an 8-2 lead.
Did you know?
Howard is the only player in NL history to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons.
