Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, former NL MVP Ryan Howard is playing his final career game with the Phillies after more than 13 years with the team and 16 years with the organization.
The Phillies honored Howard with a ceremony before the game, during which he addressed the fans at Citizens Bank Park. Howard got emotional while speaking about his teammates. Check it out:
Gosh, these farewell speeches are always so emotional. Howard's been with the Phillies for a very long time. Playing baseball for that organization is the only full-time job he's had in his adult life. He's saying goodbye to a lot of great friends and teammates.
The fans, of course, gave Howard a huge ovation before each at-bat Sunday. Here's his first trip to the plate:
Howard will turn 37 in November and he says he wants to continue playing. Teams are shying away from older one-dimensional players, however, so it might be tough for him to find contract offers in the offseason. We'll see. Either way, he's saying goodbye to Phillies fans Sunday and vice versa.
