Ryan Howard has not played Major League Baseball this year and was in the Minor Leagues last year. While it was generally a foregone conclusion that Howard’s career was over, it was never officially announced, until now.

Ryan Howard had a fantastic Major League Baseball career, hitting .258/.343/.515 with 382 career home runs and 1,194 career RBI in 1,572 games. Howard won the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year Award, led the league in homers in 2006 (58) and 2008 (48).

Howard won the 2006 National League Most Valuable Player Award and had two other seasons with 45+ homers while leading the league in RBI in 2006, 2008 and 2009, driving in more than 140 runs in each of those seasons. Ryan Howard won a World Series ring with the 2008 Phillies and played in the 2009 World Series as well. Howard was additionally the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 NLCS.

Ryan Howard announced his retirement via a post on The Players Tribune in which he gives a recap of his career and gives thanks the city of Philadelphia for their constant support through the ups and downs of his career.

“All you can hope for in baseball, I think, is a moment of perfection every now and again. You can hope for a few, perfect moments — moments that belong to you, that are yours. And then you can hope for them to matter.

And if it’s cool with everyone reading this … I’m going to feel like my moments did.

So thank you to the entire Phillies organization. Thank you to my teammates turned brothers. Thank you to my beautiful wife, Krystle, our two daughters, Ariana and Alexandria, and my son, Darian. Thank you to the crazy game that I’ll miss, and the crazy city that I love. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart to the most passionate group of fans in the world.

Y’all took a chance on this big, quiet kid from St. Louis — and for that, I’ll always be grateful.”

Ryan Howard had one of the greatest peaks of all-time, but the latter end of his career and the use of the shift will cost Howard induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Regardless of whether or not Howard will be enshrined into baseball immortality, Howard had a great career and will not soon be forgotten in the baseball world and in the memories and hearts of Phillies fans.