Ryan Howard officially retires with 'Thank You, Philly' letter

(WTXF) - Former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has officially announced his retirement.

Howard made the announcement in a letter written on The Players' Tribune titled "Thank you, Philly."

"I'm officially announcing my retirement from the game of baseball," Howard said. "It's almost like I blinked, you know? It's almost like I blinked - and suddenly, September 2004 ... it became September 2018."

Howard played for the Phillies from 2004 to 2016

To read the letter in full, see here.