Ryan Howard has played in 342 straight games. That number represents the current best consecutive games streak in baseball. But on Saturday, that streak appears to be coming to an end.
Howard went to the hospital on Friday night after complaining of flu-like symptoms. He reportedly was suffering from a fever of 104 degrees. In the early morning hours, he was released from the hospital.
On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Phillies go up against the Baltimore Orioles. Unless there is a miracle, Howard is set to miss the game.
Last year, Howard played all 162 games as the Phillies went on to win …read more

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies no longer has to live year to year with his contract. The slugger agreed to a three-year contract with the Phillies that will pay him at least $54 million.
In the second and third years of the contract, Howard can earn a bonus $1 million by winning the NL MVP. If he finishes in second place in the MVP voting, his consolation prize is $500K.
In arbitration, Howard was asking for $18 million and while he will only make $15 million this season, the long term security was obviously worth the dip in pay for the …read more

Winning the World Series is always good business. Ryan Howard of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies proved that once again on Tuesday when he asked for $18 million in salary arbitration. The Phillies offered $14 million.
Either way, Howard is going to be paid a hefty sum for 2009. And judging by the World Series championship and his stats, Howard will definitely deserve every penny. In 2008, Howard hit 48 homers, drove in 146 RBIs and had 105 runs. The only blemish in his stats was his pedestrian batting average of .251.
Over the last three seasons, Howard has emerged …read more

The pitching ace for the Philadelphia Phillies will be back with the reigning World Series champions. The Phillies and Cole Hamels have reportedly agreed on a deal that will pay him at least $20.5 million over the next three years. By agreeing to the deal, both sides will avoid arbitration.
Although the hitters stars get most of the credit for Philadelphia’s title last season, Hamels was as important as any bat. He was the ace of the staff and played very well — both in the regular season and the playoffs. His regular season stats saw him rack up a 14-10 …read more

If you watched Chase Utley in the second half of the season, you probably noticed he didn’t look quite right. The Philadelphia Phillies recently admitted that Utley battled a hip injury during the second half of the season.
Utley will undergo hip surgery and he could be out until June. Although that’s considered the pessimistic view of the recovery period, the Phillies will likely make sure their starting second baseman is 100% before they put him back out on the field.
In 2008, Utley overall had a fine season. In 159 games, Utley hit .292 with 33 homers and 104 RBIs. The …read more

Philadelphia hadn’t seen a champion since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers. The wait can now end as the Philadelphia Phillies captured the 2008 World Series by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
This wacky Game 5 had actually started on Monday night. But after bad weather suspended the game until Tuesday and then suspended it again until Wednesday, the two teams were finally able to get back on the field.
With the score tied at 2-2 as the game started, the Phillies struck first in the 6th. Geoff Jenkins doubled and then scored on a Jayson Werth …read more

The Phillies did it!
What does it feel like to be a World Series champion? Ask the Philadelphia Phillies, who on Wednesday took home the 2008 World Series title. These Phillies are now the champions of baseball for the year of 2008 and no one can take that away from them.

Ryan Howard has now established himself in history.
You can see Phillies World Series celebration videos here:

With the score tied 2-2 in the sixth inning, rains forced the suspension of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. Going into the game, the Phillies held a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series. With a win, the Phillies could have won the 2008 baseball championship.
Due to the suspension, Game 5 will continue on Tuesday — which was originally a day off. The game will continue right where it was with the score tied at two apiece.
If the Rays win Game 5 on Tuesday, Game 6 will be …read more

Ryan Howard showed in Game 4 why he is such a feared hitter.
The Philadelphia Phillies, after their 10-2 win, are now one win away from winning the 2008 World Series and being declared the 2008 baseball champions. Leading in the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, the Phillies dominated in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the best out of seven series.
The big star on Sunday night was none other than Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman for the Phillies. Howard hit two home runs and finished the game 3-4 with walk and five RBIs.
Howard wasn’t the …read more

Philadelphia Phillies take the lead in the 2008 World Series.
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays on an infield hit in the bottom on the ninth inning to win Game 3 of the 2008 World Series. With the win, the Phillies lead the Rays two games to one in the best of seven series.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Ruiz hit a slow roller to third base and the throw home was not in time. The run made it 5-4 and gave the Phillies the win.
Earlier in the game, Ruiz hit …read more