Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979), nicknamed "the Big Piece", is an American former
professional baseball first baseman. Howard spent his entire
Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
, from to . He is known for being the fastest player in baseball history to reach 100 home runs and 200 home runs. Howard holds numerous Phillies franchise records.
Howard made his MLB debut in 2004. He won the
National League (NL)
Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and the NL
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2006. Howard was a three-time NL All-Star (2006, 2009, 2010), and won the
Silver Slugger Award,
Hank Aaron Award, and the NL
Championship Series
In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match sy ...
MVP Award
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
in 2009. Known for his
power, Howard is a member of the
50 home run club
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 50 home run club is the group of batters who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. Babe Ruth was the first to achieve this, doing so in 1920. By reaching the milestone, he also became the first pla ...
. He was a two-time NL
home run champion (2006, 2008), and became the fastest player to reach both the 100 and 200 home run milestones in MLB history, passing the marks in 2007 and 2009, respectively. He is also tied with
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and C ...
for the most National League 140 RBI seasons at three and the most National League 130 RBI seasons at four. From 2006 to 2009, he hit 198 home runs, hitting at least 45 in each season. By the time he reached thirty years old, he had hit 222 home runs in 732 games. Over the remaining 840 games of his career, he proceeded to hit 160 home runs before playing his last major league game at the age of 36.
Amateur career
Howard was born in Florissant, Missouri. He attended
Lafayette High School in
Wildwood, Missouri, and
Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...
(then
Southwest Missouri State), where he played
college baseball for the
Bears from 1998 to 2001. Howard finished his collegiate career with 50
home runs, 183
runs batted in (RBIs), and a .335 career
batting average in 172
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
. He was the 1999
Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Missouri State retired Howard's number on December 18, 2010. He played one summer in the
Central Illinois Collegiate League, a league partially funded by
Major League Baseball (MLB) for future prospects to develop.
Professional career
Minor leagues
The
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
selected Howard in the fifth round of the
2001 draft and assigned him to the
Batavia Muckdogs of the NY-Penn League. Howard ascended the Phillies'
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
system, earning consecutive awards in the
Florida State League
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
and
Eastern League in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Howard also set the single-season home run record for the Reading Phillies, with 37 in 102 games.
[ On July 31, he was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons of the Class AAA ]International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
.[ He became just the fifth minor league player since 1956 to hit at least 46 home runs. He was named by Major League Baseball one of the best first basemen in Philadelphia Phillies History.] Howard won the Joe Bauman Home Run Award in the process. While doing this, he impressed scouts enough that general managers of several teams tried to lure the Phillies' Ed Wade into trading him, as Jim Thome was blocking his path to the majors. Howard's No. 29 was retired by the Lakewood Blueclaws in 2010.
Philadelphia Phillies
2004 – September call-up
On September 1, Howard made his first Major League plate appearance, striking out against Jaret Wright
Jaret Samuel Wright (born December 29, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Balt ...
in a pinch-hit at-bat (for Vicente Padilla) in a 7–2 loss to the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
. On September 6, Howard logged his first Major League hit in a single at-bat during a 3–1 loss to the Braves; on September 8, he recorded his first multi-hit game with a double and a single in a 4–1 win over the Braves. On September 11, Howard hit his first Major League home run off Bartolomé Fortunato, driving in his first RBI
RBI most often refers to:
*Reserve Bank of India
*Run batted in
RBI may also refer to:
Organisations
*Radio Berlin International
*Raiffeisen Bank International
*Reed Business Information
*Restaurant Brands International
*Ruđer Bošković In ...
and scoring his first run in an 11–9 win over the New York Mets.
Howard had 42 plate appearances in 19 games with the Phillies in 2004. He posted a .282 batting average with two home runs and five RBI; he also hit five doubles, drew two walks, and was hit by a pitch. Between playing for the Double-A Reading Phillies, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons and, the Philadelphia Phillies, Howard hit 48 home runs, which was tied for the highest total in organized baseball in 2004, along with Adrián Beltré of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2005 – Rookie of the Year
On May 15, Howard recorded his first three-hit game, going 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, and a run-scored in a 4–3 win over the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. On July 3, Howard recorded his first three-RBI game, against the Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
. On August 23, he notched his first four-hit game, going 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two singles, three RBI and three runs scored in a 10–2 win over the San Francisco Giants. On July 1, Howard became the Phillies' everyday first baseman when Thome was sidelined for the season with an elbow injury.
Howard was named National League (NL) Rookie of the Month in September. He batted .278 with 10 home runs and 22 runs batted in. In honor of winning the award, he received a specially-designed trophy.
Howard led all major league rookies with 22 home runs and posted a .288 average and 63 RBI in just 312 at-bats
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
and 88 games. He hit 11 home runs and 27 RBI in September and October. Howard finished his rookie season with 17 doubles, two triples, 52 runs scored, and 100 strikeouts and 63 runs batted in as the Phillies battled the Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
for the NL wild card until getting eliminated on the last day of the season. Howard was rewarded for his effort by being named NL Rookie of the Year, the fourth Phillie to win the award. He was also voted the ''Baseball Prospectus'' Internet Baseball Awards NL Rookie of the Year and received the NLBM Larry Doby Legacy Award (NL Rookie of the Year).
After the 2005 season, the Phillies faced a dilemma involving Thome and Howard. Both were very talented and proven power hitters; Thome was the biggest free agent player the Phillies signed prior to the 2003 season, but Howard was the reigning Rookie of the Year and a promising young player. Before the 2006 season, the Phillies traded Thome for outfielder Aaron Rowand and minor league pitching prospects Gio González and Daniel Haigwood in order to make room for Howard.
2006 – MVP season
Howard began the 2006 season as the Phillies' starting first baseman. Howard hit his first home run of the season on April 3, off the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter. On April 23, Howard became the first player to hit a home run into Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park. The home run traveled and was hit off Sergio Mitre of the Florida Marlins. It was the first of two Howard hit in the game, the first multi-home run game of his career. From May 20 to 29, Howard had at least one RBI in nine consecutive games. During that stretch, Howard hit six home runs and drove in 17 runs. He also became the first player to hit a home run into the third deck of the park in right field when he connected off Mike Mussina on June 20, a long-ball that was again his first of two home runs. To honor the home run, the Phillies painted a white H on the seat where the ball was caught. Howard collected seven RBI on the two home runs and a triple in the 9–7 loss, becoming the first Phillies batter to drive in seven runs since pitcher Robert Person on June 2, 2002.
Howard was named to his first All-Star game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh as a reserve first baseman, by the player ballot. He participated in the Century 21 Home Run Derby prior to the game, and won the contest with a total of 23 home runs, defeating the New York Mets' third baseman David Wright in the final round. Howard was the second consecutive Phillie to win the Derby, with Bobby Abreu hitting a record 41 home runs in 2005. Howard went 0 for 1 with a groundout in the All Star Game. On July 30, against the Marlins, Howard tied a Major League record by walking five times, including an intentional walk in the eighth inning.
From August 25 to 29, Howard hit home runs in four consecutive games; on the 29th, Howard hit his 48th home run of the season to tie Mike Schmidt for the Phillies single-season record. On August 31, Howard hit a home run into the upper deck of RFK Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...
to surpass Schmidt as the Phillies' single-season home run record holder.
On September 3, Howard went 4-for-4 with three home runs and a double in an 8–7 win over the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
, to become the first Philadelphia Phillies batter and the 24th player in Major League history to hit 50 home runs in a season. Howard became the first player to reach 50 home runs in a season since Andruw Jones, who hit 51 home runs the previous year. Reaching 52 home runs in the game, Howard also broke Ralph Kiner's 1947 record for home runs in a sophomore season, becoming just the second batter to hit 50 home runs in a second season. Howard's performance from August 28 to September 3 earned him NL Player of the Week. During that span, Howard batted .571 with six home runs and 12 runs batted in. On September 5, Howard was named the NL Player of the Month for August. His 41 runs batted in were the most any player had in one month since Frank Howard had 41 in July 1962. With 14 home runs, he also set new franchise records for both statistics in the month of August. On September 22, Howard became the 8th player in history to hit 58 home runs in a season, belting a three-run round-tripper off Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco. On September 22, Howard became the first hitter to drive in 140 runs since David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former designated hitter (DH) and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played in the American League (AL) from 1997 to 2016, primarily wit ...
in 2005. On September 27, in a game against the Nationals, Howard walked for the 100th time in the ninth inning. He was also be walked intentionally in the eleventh and thirteenth inning. Howard became the first Phillies' batter to walk 100 or more times since Thome in 2004.
Howard finished the 2006 season with a .313 batting average, 58 home runs, and 149 runs batted in. He also set the Phillies' franchise record with 37 intentional walks. Howard and Ortiz were the only hitters to hit 50 or more home runs that season. Howard's 58 home runs was the most by a player in his sophomore season. In the process, Howard became the first Phillies' batter to win the home run title since Jim Thome did it in 2003.
On October 2, Howard was named the NL Player of the Month for September. Howard, who also won the award in August, became the first player since Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine", ...
in May and June 2003, to win the award back-to-back.
On October 10, Howard was named '' The Sporting News'' 2006 Player of the Year. On October 25, Howard was awarded the 2006 NL Hank Aaron Award.
On November 8, Howard was named by his fellow major league players as the Player of the Year and the National League Outstanding Position Player in the 2006 Players Choice Awards balloting. He succeeded Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
outfielder Andruw Jones, the 2005 winner of both awards. On the same day, following a 5–3 win over Nippon Professional Baseball that capped a five-game international sweep by the MLB in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series, Howard was named the Series MVP; he hit .558 with eight runs, three doubles, four homers and eight RBI. On November 10, Howard was awarded the National League Silver Slugger Award at first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
.
On November 20, Howard won the National League MVP award, and became one of four players in baseball history to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in consecutive seasons, joining Cal Ripken Jr. and later joined by Dustin Pedroia and Kris Bryant.
Howard received the Babe Ruth Home Run Award
The Babe Ruth Home Run Award was an annual award presented to the previous season's leading home run hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB). The award was named after the legendary Babe Ruth, who led the American League in homers 12 times.At th ...
for leading MLB in home runs.[At the following webpage, ''scroll down to'' "The Babe Ruth Homerun Award". ] He also received the Pride of Philadelphia Award from the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
Howard received the NLBM Oscar Charleston Legacy Award (NL MVP) and the NLBM Josh Gibson Legacy Award (NL home-run leader).
The Philadelphia Baseball Writers' Association of America awarded him the third annual Mike Schmidt Most Valuable Player honor.
2007
On March 2, 2007, the Phillies renewed Howard's contract in a one-year deal for $900,000, the highest salary ever offered to a player not eligible for salary arbitration.
On May 9, Howard hit his fourth career grand slam, against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Medders
Brandon Edward Medders (born January 26, 1980) is a former professional relief pitcher. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2005–2008) and San Francisco Giants (2009–2010) of Major League Baseball (MLB). Medders threw a four-seam fastball ...
, when he came into the game as a pinch hitter for Wes Helms. On May 13, Howard was placed on the disabled list with a left quadriceps strain after missing five straight games. Howard fielded grounders for about 45 minutes before the Phillies game with the Toronto Blue Jays on May 20. Howard returned to the lineup on May 25, after a rehabilitation assignment with the class A Lakewood team as a designated hitter. He hit a home run in his first at-bat there. On May 27, he hit two home runs in a win that helped the Phillies sweep the Braves.
On June 27, Howard hit a home run, and became the fastest player in Major League Baseball history to hit 100 home runs. The accomplishment was achieved in only 325 games, 60 games fewer than the 385 games that Ralph Kiner needed to hit his first 100 home runs from 1946 to 1948.
Though Howard did not compete in the 2007 MLB All-Star Game
The 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 78th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2007 ...
, he was chosen to compete in the 2007 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
The 2007 State Farm Home Run Derby was a 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game event. The Home Run Derby was held on July 9 at AT&T Park, the home field of the San Francisco Giants. As usual, the competition had eight competitors, seven of whom ...
for the second straight year in order to defend his title. However, Howard only hit three home runs in the first round and did not advance.
After coming back from the DL, Howard had a "power surge", as he quickly climbed to second on the home run leaders list in the National League. On July 25, Howard hit a walk-off home run in the 14th inning to give the Phillies a victory over the Washington Nationals.
On September 27, Howard established a new major league record by striking out for his 196th and 197th time, breaking the old record of 195 (he tied it on September 23), set by Adam Dunn
Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979), nicknamed "Big Donkey", is an American former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nation ...
in 2004. He ended the season with 199 strikeouts, striking out an NL-highest 37.6% of the time.
Howard's final 2007 season totals were a .268 average, with 47 home runs and 136 runs batted in, helping the Phillies win the National League East title on the final day of the season to earn their first postseason berth since the 1993 World Series
The 1993 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) season. The 90th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending World Series champion and American League (AL) champio ...
. The Phillies were swept by the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
(who had won a one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres for the NL Wild Card) in the 2007 National League Division Series
The 2007 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2007 National League playoffs, began on Wednesday, October 3 and ended on Saturday, October 6, with the champions of the three NL divisions and one wild card team particip ...
; Howard homered off Jeremy Affeldt in Game Two, but struck out seven times in his other 11 at-bats.
2008
On February 21, 2008, Howard won an arbitration case against the Phillies, and was awarded $10 million, the most ever for a victorious player and tied for the most ever awarded. The Phillies had offered $7 million to Howard in salary.
Howard began the 2008 season in a slump, finishing the month of April with a batting average of just .172 and going 2-for-25 to close out the month. He fared better in May, averaging .238 with ten home runs and 30 RBI for the month, and finishing out May just north of the Mendoza Line with an overall batting average of .205. Howard hit his 15th home run of the season in a 7–3 loss to the Florida Marlins on May 30, and teammate Chase Utley hit his 15th homer on May 25. The two became the first pair of Phillies to hit 15 home runs each before June.
On June 13, Howard hit two home runs and had five RBI, in a 20–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. This included the second of a first-inning set of back-to-back-to-back Philadelphia home runs. It was the seventh time that the Phillies had hit three consecutive home runs, the first since May 18, 2004, and the fourth occurrence by any team in the 2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 (in 10 innings) in the first game of a two-game series, and ...
. On June 16, Howard again hit two home runs and drove in four in an 8–2 win over the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...
for his 15th career multi-homer game; the four-day span between multi-homer games was the shortest of his career. In stark contrast, Howard went 0-for-4 the next night with four strikeouts in a 3–0 loss for his tenth career golden sombrero. Howard drove in his 100th run of the 2008 season on August 11, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking his third consecutive season with at least 100 RBI.
Howard finished the 2008 season with 146 RBI and a .251 batting average. His contributions again helped lead the Phillies to the division title and the postseason. Against Milwaukee in the first round he batted a mere .182 and only drove in one run. Things picked up as he delivered with a .300 batting average against the Dodgers in the next round, although he only delivered two RBI and still remained in his home run drought in the postseason. However, as the Phillies advanced to the World Series he finally started delivering significantly with six RBI, .286 batting average, and three home runs (which tied Donn Clendenon's 1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1969 season. The 66th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles and the National L ...
record for most home runs in a five-game Series) – two of which came in game 4 (in which he also drove in five runs) as the Phillies took a commanding 3–1 series lead. The Phillies eventually won the series in five games to bring the Phillies their first World Series championship since 1980, and Philadelphia their first major sports championship since 1983; he finished second in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, behind Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine", ...
of the St. Louis Cardinals. Howard won his second Babe Ruth Home Run Award and his second Josh Gibson Legacy Award, leading MLB with 48 home runs.
2009
On February 8, the Phillies and Howard agreed on a 3-year, $54 million contract that bought out his remaining three years of salary arbitration eligibility. In spring training, Howard led all players in home runs, with 10.
On May 4, Howard hit his second grand slam of the year, the seventh in his career, against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. On May 30, he hit his third grand slam of the season off of Washington Nationals pitcher Shairon Martis
Shairon Benjamin Martis (born March 30, 1987) is a Dutch-Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for L&D Amsterdam of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse. He has previously pitched for the Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseba ...
. The grand slam landed in the third deck in the first row above the Powerade sign in right field at Citizens Bank Park and was estimated at . The grand slam put Howard ahead of Mike Schmidt, who had seven grand slams in his career, putting him first all-time in Phillies franchise history.
Howard was named to the 2009 National League All-Star team and also competed in the Home Run Derby.
On June 20, Howard was checked into the hospital early that morning with a 104-degree fever, but pinch-hit later that day, hitting a home run. A month later, against the Florida Marlins on July 16, Howard hit his 200th career home run, making him the fastest player ever to that mark. It took Howard 658 games to reach 200 long-balls, beating out the previous titleholder, Ralph Kiner (706 games).
In August, Howard hit 11 home runs with 33 runs batted in, after just six the month before. On August 24, in a game against the New York Mets, Howard went 2 for 5 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in. Howard also recorded his 100th runs batted in of the season. This marked the fourth consecutive season that Howard had reached the 100-runs-batted-in mark. His batting average in the month was .299, raising his overall average to .275. He was named the NL Player of the Month for these achievements. Howard was named NL Player of the Week on August 31. Howard hit 5 home runs, 12 runs batted in, 28 total bases, and a 1,000 slugging percentage during that stretch. On September 18, in a game against the Braves, Howard hit his 39th and 40th home run of the season. This marked the fourth time in his career that he had hit 40 or more home runs in a season. On October 3, Howard hit his 45th home run of the season and became only the third player in Major League Baseball history (joining Babe Ruth from 1926 to 1931 and Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and C ...
from 1998 to 2001) to amass at least 135 RBI and 45 home runs in four consecutive seasons.
Howard ended the season tied with Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder for the major league lead in RBI with 141.
In the 2009 National League Division Series
The 2009 National League Division Series (NLDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a " wild card" team playe ...
(NLDS) against the Colorado Rockies, Howard hit a game-tying double with two outs in the top of the ninth off of closer Huston Street. Howard scored the winning run on a Jayson Werth single. After tying Lou Gehrig's record for the most consecutive postseason games with an RBI, Howard won the NLCS MVP award on October 21. However, Howard struggled against the New York Yankees during the 2009 World Series
The 2009 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2009 season. As the 105th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National Leag ...
, in which he struck out a record 13 times, passing the mark previously set by Willie Wilson in .
2010
On April 26, 2010, Howard signed a 5-year, $125 million extension with a club option to the contract he inked before the 2009 season. He was also the first designated hitter in an NL ballpark during a regular-season game when the Phillies played as the road team against the Toronto Blue Jays in Citizens Bank Park on June 25. Major League Baseball moved the interleague series to Philadelphia due to the G-20 Summit
The following list of G20 summits summarizes all G20 conferences held at various different levels: summits of heads of state or heads of government, ministerial-level meetings, Engagement Group meetings and others.
Summits of state leaders
...
taking place near the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...
in Toronto.
On August 1, Howard sprained his ankle while returning to second base on a baserunning play, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
On August 24, Howard was ejected in the 14th inning by third base umpire Scott Barry for arguing a check-swing strikeout. With no offensive reserves left the Phillies moved left fielder Raúl Ibañez to first base and sent pitcher Roy Oswalt to play left field.
On September 8, Howard hit his 250th home run in only 855 games, which surpassed Ralph Kiner as the quickest player in history to reach that milestone.
On September 18, Howard hit his 30th homer of the season, setting a franchise record with five consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons. He had been tied with Chuck Klein, who had four consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons from 1929 to 1932. On defense, he led all major league first basemen in errors for the third year in a row, with 14.[Yearly League Leaders & Records for Errors Committed as 1B](_blank)
''Baseball-Reference.com''
Howard was listed with teammates Chase Utley, Jamie Moyer, and Roy Halladay as one of the few active players that were likely to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
2011
Through 2011, Howard was fourth among all active major leaguers in career slugging percentage (.560; behind Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine", ...
, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun), and ninth in career intentional walks. During the 2011 season, Howard had a batting average of .253, 33 home runs and 116 RBI. It was his sixth consecutive 30 home run and 100 RBI season, a Phillies franchise record.
In Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
* one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''El ...
vs the St. Louis Cardinals, Howard was the last batter to ground out before the Phillies lost the series. Howard tore his Achilles tendon when running to first base on the final play of the game, a ground out to the second baseman, Nick Punto
Nicholas Paul Punto (born November 8, 1977) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, a ...
. His injury required surgery and as a result, he missed the start of the 2012 season.
2012
Howard began the 2012 season on the 15-Day DL. He said in a podcast in early June that his Achilles tendon injury is "progressing at a positive pace".
On July 6, 2012, Howard was activated for his first game of the 2012 season, in which he went 2-for-4 with a double in a 5–0 Phillies loss. Howard hit his 300th career home run on September 22; his season ended one week later on September 29 after suffering a small fracture in his big right toe. He finished the 2012 season with a .219 batting average, 14 home runs, and 56 RBI in 71 games.
2013
On July 8, 2013, Howard went on the disabled list, missing 6–8 weeks with a torn left meniscus. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear and did not play for the remainder of the season. He was hitting .266, with 11 home runs and 43 RBI, at the time of his injury.
2014
Howard entered the 2014 season feeling rejuvenated, and looking to utilize the whole field, rather than exclusively pull the ball, as he had done in recent years. After reaching base in his first three at bats on opening day, Howard batted in the fifth position in the Phillies' second game during which they faced a left-handed pitcher; it ended a streak of 665 starts for Howard in which he batted in the fourth position.
On May 31, Howard hit a three-run home run for the 1,000th RBI of his career in an eventual loss to the New York Mets. Howard became the fastest player in MLB history to 1,000 RBI, accomplishing the feat in only 1,230 games. In 153 games of the 2014 year, Howard struck out an MLB-leading 190 times while batting .223 with 23 home runs and 95 RBI.
2015
In 2015, Howard batted .229, and his 23 home runs, 77 RBI and 138 strikeouts led the last-place Phillies, even though he missed the last three weeks of the season due to a left knee injury. He had the lowest batting average against left-handers among all MLB hitters (60 or more plate appearances), at .130.
2016
Howard began the 2016 season with a protracted slump; by late May, with his batting average at .161 after 39 games and with the arrival of a young promising first baseman in Tommy Joseph, baseball pundits asserted that the Phillies should consider simply releasing Howard and let the 36-year-old retire. On June 1, manager Pete Mackanin announced his plans to keep Howard on the bench so as to give Joseph, a rookie, more playing time at first base. Howard hit his 375th home run on August 16, 2016, versus the Dodgers. In 112 games of 2016, Howard finished with a .196 batting average, 25 home runs, and 59 RBI. On November 2, the Phillies declined the option for Howard that had a $23 million deal for the upcoming season, making him a free agent for the first time of his career.
Later career
On April 6, 2017, Howard signed with the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
in a minor-league contract. Howard started with Braves extended spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
in Florida before he was assigned to the Gwinnett Braves of the International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
. If he was added to the 40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...
, he would have received a $120,000 minor-league salary or a $750,000 major-league salary, plus potential bonuses based on plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...
s. Braves general manager John Coppolella
John Coppolella (born July 28, 1978) is a former American baseball front office executive who served as the general manager of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2015 through 2017. Coppolella resigned as general manager of the ...
explained that Howard's signing was "just a no-risk proposition for a player with good makeup who was excellent in the second half last season, he's in good shape and has been training and waiting for an opportunity." However, he hit just .184 with one home run and 11 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances for Gwinnett, and was released on May 8.
On August 12, 2017, Howard agreed to a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
and was assigned to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017. On September 4, 2018, Howard announced his retirement via an article appearing on '' The Players' Tribune''.
Personal life
Howard has a fraternal twin brother named Corey, as well as an older brother and a sister. He says he is the smallest of the Howard sons. His favorite baseball team growing up was the St. Louis Cardinals. Howard has a son named Darian Alexander, who was born on January 26, 2001.
Howard graduated from Lafayette High School (Wildwood, St. Louis County, Mo.) in 1998, where he played trombone. While attending Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...
he became a member of the Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as char ...
fraternity and his line name was "Blue Hurt".
Howard is a representative for a number of products including Under Armour and the Subway
Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to:
Transportation
* Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems
* Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle
* Subway (George Bush Interconti ...
restaurant chain. He also appeared on the cover of '' MLB 08: The Show''.
Howard appeared alongside teammate Chase Utley as himself on the 2010 episode of '' It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' "The Gang Gets Stranded in the Woods". He also appeared as himself during the 7th season of ''Entourage'' in the episode "Lose Yourself" and appeared in the final season of '' The Office'', which is set in Scranton and was created during his time in Triple-A there. Howard is the acknowledged namesake of one of the show's characters, who in one episode claimed to be "Ryan Howard, the baseball player" in an attempt to gain entry into a New York nightclub.
Howard married former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader Krystle Campbell in Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
on December 1, 2012. They are Catholic.
A longstanding lawsuit between Howard and his family over finances was settled in November 2014.
On January 5, 2016, it was announced that Howard had filed a lawsuit suing Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...
for defamation following the publication's release of the documentary episode " The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers", which linked Howard and Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman, among others, to a clinic that allegedly distributed steroids and HGH. Zimmerman also filed suit against Al Jazeera for defamation.
In May 2017, Howard announced his new role as Partner at SeventySix Capital, a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm led by Wayne Kimmel and Jon Powell.
Howard has written six children's books with co-authors Erwin Madrid and his wife, Krystle Howard, published by Scholastic
Scholastic may refer to:
* a philosopher or theologian in the tradition of scholasticism
* ''Scholastic'' (Notre Dame publication)
* Scholastic Corporation, an American publishing company of educational materials
* Scholastic Building, in New Y ...
.
The sale of Howard's palatial beachfront mansion in Belleair Shore, Florida
Belleair Shore is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It was established in 1955. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 109.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of whi ...
, for $16.5 million was announced on January 30, 2019.
In February 2019, Howard joined ESPN as an analyst for '' Baseball Tonight''.
On April 6, 2019, Howard announced that he and his wife were expecting a baby girl.
Major league and franchise records
Howard was included on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
class of when it was announced on November 22, 2021.
See also
* List of Major League Baseball home run records
* List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit so far that the batter is able to circle all the bases ending at home plate, scoring himself plus any runners already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play. An automati ...
* List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
* 50 home run club
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 50 home run club is the group of batters who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. Babe Ruth was the first to achieve this, doing so in 1920. By reaching the milestone, he also became the first pla ...
* List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders
* List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Ryan
1979 births
Living people
African-American baseball players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
Baseball players from St. Louis
Batavia Muckdogs players
Clearwater Phillies players
Gwinnett Braves players
Lakewood BlueClaws players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball first basemen
Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Missouri State Bears baseball players
National League All-Stars
National League Championship Series MVPs
National League home run champions
National League Most Valuable Player Award winners
National League RBI champions
Phoenix Desert Dogs players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Reading Phillies players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players
Silver Slugger Award winners
Twin sportspeople
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
African-American Catholics