Pair of legendary Phillies to be inducted into Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

The Man and The Big Piece. Two of not only the Philadelphia Phillies’ most iconic players to ever step foot in both the Vet and the Bank, but two of the city’s most iconic athletes as a whole.

Lots of fans have tried to copy Ryan Howard’s iconic stance where he holds the bat out, then waves it up and down behind him for him to smack a no-doubter, drop the bat down and admire the beauty he created. And what about Chase Utley, his demeanor and how he explicitly stated at the end of his career that, yes, he does hate the New York Mets.

Legendary Phillies Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to be inducted into Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

But now, those ideals and more can finally be appreciated by all Philadelphia fans for years and centuries to come. As announced earlier this week, Utley and Howard are being included alongside a number of legends from the city as inductees into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame for the Class of 2024.

The event will take place at the Event Center at the Live! Casino and Hotel near Citizens Bank Park on Nov. 7. If you sat near the Hall of Fame club, you’ve seen it in the iconic Philadelphia skyline.

Last year, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz was inducted. The year before that, J-Roll himself, Jimmy Rollins was inducted. In 2016, Uncle Chuck Charlie Manuel was inducted as well. This year, another notable name among everyone is Jameer Nelson, who played for Saint Joseph’s University and led a 15-year NBA career into being the general manager of the 76ers G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

How did these two ball players get to this point in their careers? A whole novel could be written on that, but let’s keep it to the best of the best, starting with the man who just recently swung a bat for the Savannah Bananas in September.

Ryan Howard lived up to his nickname

Playing close to 1,600 games for the Phillies and only the Phillies, Howard was collecting awards in his first year as he won the 2005 Rookie of the Year, hitting 22 home runs and 63 RBI on a just under .290 batting average. The next year, The Big Piece truly lived up to his namesake. Howard had what would become the best year of his career in 2006, with 58 home runs and 149 RBI, his first All-Star appearance, led the league in total bases, and won the coveted NL MVP Award. And yes, those 58 home runs remain the Phillies all-time single-season home run record.