| Revision as of 15:39, 4 November 2009 edit209.158.69.99 (talk) →Minor league years← Previous edit |
Revision as of 15:39, 4 November 2009 edit undo209.158.69.99 (talk) Ryan Howard is the best all you need to know. PloxNext edit → |
| Line 44: |
Line 44: |
|
Due to Howard's reputation as an extreme ], opposing managers often utilize an unusual ] with him at the plate, with the ] playing ], the shortstop playing second base, and the ] playing in shallow ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2009/06/dodgers-infield-shift-ensnares.html|title=Dodgers: Infield Shift Ensnares Ryan Howard|accessdate=2009-08-31|date=2009-06-06|publisher=]}}</ref> |
|
Due to Howard's reputation as an extreme ], opposing managers often utilize an unusual ] with him at the plate, with the ] playing ], the shortstop playing second base, and the ] playing in shallow ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2009/06/dodgers-infield-shift-ensnares.html|title=Dodgers: Infield Shift Ensnares Ryan Howard|accessdate=2009-08-31|date=2009-06-06|publisher=]}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
==Biography== |
|
|
Ryan Howard is the best all you need to know. Plox |
|
Ryan Howard is the best all you need to know. Plox |
|
|
|
|
===2004 – September call-up=== |
|
|
On September 1, Howard made his first Major League plate appearance, striking out against ] in a pinch-hit at-bat (for ]) in a 7–2 loss to the ]. On September 6, Howard logged his first Major League hit in a single at-bat in 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 ] off ], driving in his first ] and scoring his first run in an 11–9 win over the ]. |
|
|
|
|
|
Howard had 42 plate appearances in 19 games with the Phillies in 2004. He posted a .282 ] with two home runs and five RBI; he also hit five doubles, drew two ], and was hit by a pitch. Between playing for the Double-A ], Triple-A ] and the Philadelphia Phillies, Howard hit 48 home runs, which was tied for the highest total in organized baseball in 2004 along with ] of the ].<ref name="mlb20040930"/> |
|
|
|
|
|
===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 ]. On August 23, he recorded 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 ]. On July 1, Howard became the Phillies' everyday first baseman when ] ] was sidelined for the season with an elbow injury.<ref name="espn20051105"/> |
|
|
|
|
|
Howard, who led all major league ]s with 22 home runs,<ref name="espn20051105"/> also posted a .288 average and 63 RBI in just 312 ] 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 ] for the ] until getting eliminated on the last day of the season. Howard was rewarded for his effort by being named ], the fourth Phillie to win the award.<ref name="espn20051105">{{cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2216645|title=Street wins AL Rookie of Year; Howard wins NL|accessdate=2009-07-17|date=2005-11-05 |author=]|publisher=]}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
After the {{by|2005}} season, the Phillies faced a dilemma involving Thome and Howard. Both were very talented and proven power hitters; Thome was the biggest ] 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, Thome was traded, along with $22 million cash, to the ] for ] ], and pitchers ], and ] in order to make room for Howard. |
|
|
|
|
|
===2006=== |
|
|
] |
|
|
On April 23, Howard became the first player to hit a home run into Ashburn Alley at ]. The blast traveled 496 feet and was hit off ] of the ]. It was the first of two Howard would hit in the game, the first multi-home run game of his career.<ref>{{cite web|title=Howard makes a memory|publisher=phillies.com|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060423&content_id=1414701&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi|accessdate=2007-03-08}}</ref> 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 ] on June 20, a 437-foot 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 ] on June 2, {{by|2002}}. |
|
|
|
|
|
Howard was named to his first ] at ] in ] as a reserve first baseman, by the player ballot. He participated in the ] ] prior to the game, and won the contest with a total of 23 home runs, defeating the ]' ] ] in the final round. Howard was the second consecutive Phillie to win the Derby, with ] hitting a record 41 home runs in 2005. |
|
|
|
|
|
From August 25 to August 29, Howard hit home runs in four consecutive games; on the 29th, Howard hit his 48th ] of the season to tie ] for the Phillies single-season record. Two days later, on August 31, Howard hit a home run into the upper deck of ] to surpass Schmidt as the Philadelphia Phillies single-season home run record holder. |
|
|
|
|
|
On September 3, Howard went 4-for-4 with three home runs and a single in an 8–7 win over the ], to become the first Philadelphia Phillies batter and the 24th player in Major League history to hit ] in a season. Reaching 52 home runs in the game, Howard also broke ]'s {{by|1947}} record for home runs in a sophomore season, becoming just the second batter to hit 50 home runs in a second season. On September 5, Howard was named the ] ] for August. His 41 runs batted in were the most any player had in one month since ] had 41 in July {{by|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 ] pitcher ]. The same day, Howard was awarded the third annual ] honor by the Philadelphia ]<ref>{{cite web|title = Howard receives honor Lefty slugger earns Mike Schmidt Player of the Year Award|publisher=phillies.com|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060922&content_id=1676747&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi| accessdate = 2007-03-08}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
On October 2, Howard was named the ] ] for September. Howard, who also won the award in August, became the first player since ] in May and June 2003, to win the award back-to-back. |
|
|
|
|
|
====2006 season awards==== |
|
|
On October 10, Howard was named ] 2006 ]. On October 25, Howard was awarded the 2006 ] ]. |
|
|
|
|
|
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 ]s balloting. He succeeded ] ] ], 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 ], 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 ] ] Award at ]. |
|
|
|
|
|
On November 20, he won the ] award, and became only the second player in baseball history to win the ] and MVP awards in successive seasons, joining ] |
|
|
|
|
|
===2007=== |
|
|
On March 2, {{by|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.<ref>{{cite news |first= Todd |last= Zolecki |title= The $900,000 Man |url= http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/16824723.htm |work= Philadelphia Inquirer |publisher= philly.com |date= ], ]|accessdate=2007-03-08 }}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
On May 9, Howard hit his 4th career ] against ] pitcher ] when he came into the game as a pinch hitter for ]. 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 ] 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 505-foot home run,<ref></ref> and became the fastest player in ] history to hit 100 home runs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270627122 |title=Reds beat Phillies to end three-game losing streak |accessdate=2009-09-18|author=] |date=2007-06-27 |publisher=]}}</ref> 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 {{by|1946}} to {{by|1948}}. |
|
|
|
|
|
Though Howard did not compete in the ], he was chosen to compete in the ] for the second straight year in order to defend his title. However Howard only hit 3 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 ]. On July 25, Howard hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Phillies a victory over the ]. |
|
|
|
|
|
Howard had his tenth career ] on August 21, 2007 vs. the ]. |
|
|
|
|
|
On September 27, he 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 ] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070927&content_id=2234570&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi |title=Howard sets single-season whiff mark |accessdate=2009-09-11|last=Jasner |first=Andy |date=2007-09-27|publisher=]}}</ref> He ended the season with 199 strikeouts, striking out an NL-highest 37.6% of the time.<ref></ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
His final 2007 season totals were a .268 average, with 47 home runs and 136 runs batted in, helping the Phillies win the ] title on the final day of the season to earn their first postseason berth since the ]. The Phillies were swept by the ] (who had won a one-game playoff against the ] for the NL Wild Card) in the ]; Howard homered off ] in Game Two, but also struck out seven times in his other 11 at-bats. |
|
|
|
|
|
===2008=== |
|
|
] |
|
|
On February 21, {{by|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.<ref></ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
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 ] with an overall batting average of .205. Howard hit his 15th home run of the season in a 7–3 loss to the ] on May 30; ] having hit his 15th longball on May 25, the two became the first pair of Phillies to hit 15 home runs each before June <ref></ref>. |
|
|
|
|
|
On June 13, Howard hit two home runs and drove in five in a 20–2 win over the ]. 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, {{by|2004}} <ref></ref>, and the fourth occurrence by any team in the ].<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> On June 16, Howard again hit two home runs and drove in four in an 8–2 win over the ] for his 15th career multi-homer game; the four-day span between multi-homer games was the shortest of his career.<ref></ref> In stark contrast, Howard went 0-for-4 the next night with four strike outs in a 3–0 loss for his tenth career ].<ref></ref> Howard drove in his 100th run of the 2008 season on August 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking his third consecutive season with at least 100 RBI.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080811&content_id=3292890&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi|title=Howard reaches 100-RBI mark again|last=Mandel|first=Ken|date=2008-08-12|publisher=Philadelphia Phillies|accessdate=2008-08-12}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
He finished the season with 146 RBI and a .251 batting average. Historically speaking, this was a statistical aberration, and is by far the lowest batting average ever for any season in major league history in which a player topped 130 runs batted in.<ref></ref> His contributions again helped lead the Phillies to the division title and the post-season. Against Milwaukee in the first round he batted a mere .182 average and only batted 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 2 RBIs and still remained in his home run drought in the post-season. However as the Phillies advanced to the World Series he finally started delivering significantly with 6 RBIs, .286 batting average, and 3 home runs (which tied ]'s ] record for most home runs in a five-game Series)<ref>http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_postseason.jsp?playerID=429667&statType=1</ref> - two of which came in game 4 (which also drove in 5 RBIs) as the Phillies took a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Phillies eventually won the series in 5 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 ] of the St. Louis Cardinals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081117&content_id=3681885&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|title=Crowning achievement: Pujols NL MVP|last=Leach|first=Matthew|date=2008-11-17|publisher=Major League Baseball|accessdate=2008-11-17}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090208&content_id=3809228&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi|title=Howard agrees to $54 million contract|last=Zolecki|first=Todd|date=2009-02-08|publisher=Philadelphia Phillies|accessdate=2009-02-08}}</ref> In spring training, Howard led all players in home runs, with 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?teamPosCode=All&statType=1&noHighlight=true§ion1=1&timeFrame=1&statSet1=1&baseballScope=mlb&timeSubFrame=23&&sortByStat=HR|title=Major League Baseball Stats — Sortable Statistics|publisher=Major League Baseball|accessdate=2009-07-17}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
On May 4, Howard hit his second ] of the year, the seventh in his career, against the ] at ].<ref>, Baseball-Reference.com</ref> On May 30, he hit his third grand slam of the season off of ] pitcher ]. The grand slam landed in the third deck in the first row above the ] sign in right field at ], and was estimated at 475 feet. The grand slam put Howard ahead of ], who had 7 grand slams in his career, putting him first all-time in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090530&content_id=5049432&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi |title=Howard's blasts help Phils outslug Nats |accessdate=2009-07-17|last=Jasner |first=Andy |date=2009-05-30 |publisher=]}}</ref> |
|
|
|
|
|
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.<ref>http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090620&content_id=5434416&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb</ref> A month later, against the ] 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, ] (706 games). |
|
|
|
|
|
In August, Howard hit 11 home runs with 33 runs batted in, after just six the month before. His batting average in the month was .299, raising his overall average to .275. He was named the National League Player of the Month for these achievements. On October 3, Howard hit his 45th home run of the season and became only the third player in Major League Baseball history (joining ] from 1926-1931 and ] from 1998-2001) to amass at least 135 RBIs and 45 home runs in four consecutive seasons.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} |
|
|
|
|
|
Howard ended the season tied with Milwaukee Brewers first baseman ] for the major league lead in RBIs with 141, and led all major league first basemen in errors, with 14.<ref></ref>. In Game 4 of the ] against the Colorado Rockies, Howard hit a game-tying double with two outs in the top of the ninth off of closer ]. Howard scored the winning run on a ] single. After tying ]'s record for the most consecutive postseason games with an RBI, Howard won the ] on October 21. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
==Personal== |
|
==Personal== |
Ryan Howard is the best all you need to know. Plox
