Cole Hamels' no-hitter gave Phillies' core one final moment

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After Cole Hamels polished off his no-hitter Saturday, he embraced longtime Phillies teammates Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz.

As the three smiled and hugged before being mobbed by Chase Utley and the rest, you couldn't help but reminisce about the franchise's golden era when these celebrations were par for the course.

But the scene at famed Wrigley Field struck another chord: Was this it?

Was this the final hurrah for this Phillies core? The core that won the city's first championship since 1983 and pulled off the greatest run in franchise history?

As the Phillies rebuild, their days wane. There's not much left but losses and inevitable changes.

This was their curtain call.

"All I’ve been thinking about the past couple of days is to correct my pitching," Hamels said after throwing the organization's 13th no-hitter in what could have been his final start as a Phillie. "Just being able to be out there and enjoy the moment. Sometimes you can get a little carried away and get complacent with knowing that being in the big leagues is pretty special, and to be able to do so for any sort of ballclub, any city, it’s a special moment and you want to be able to do it for as long as you possibly can because some people don’t have those opportunities.

"I think it’s just getting back to cherishing the moment that I have."

Hamels gave the aging icons that chance Saturday — a few final memories in Phillies red as this dark and gloomy season finishes their reign.

It gave Howard one last meaningful homer, Utley one last victory to toast.

And Ruiz one last celebratory hug with his buddy Hamels.

“He and I have been able to build a really good rapport with each other," Hamels said. "We get into habits where we don’t even need to call signs and I think that’s something special. I think anybody who’s been able to have a combination like that kind of has that understanding, that when you’re able to get that, it’s special."

The two make for the longest active battery combination in the majors.

"He’s a tremendous catcher and it just shows," Hamels said. "If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be catching this many no-hitter, perfect games. All of us have been fortunate enough to have him."

Ruiz has now caught four no-hitters, tied for most in MLB history with Jason Varitek. Two by Roy Halladay, one combined and now this: Hamels' moment and maybe his farewell.

The core's, too.

"I try to wake up every day and drive to Citizens Bank Park and play with the big P on my chest," Hamels said. "That's kind of what I've done since the moment I got drafted by them, and that's what I'm going to continue to do until somebody says no."

The 2015 Phillies aren't winning anything this season, nor will the 2007-11 foundation ever do so again together.

Sure, before it's all stripped, Hamels, Howard, Utley and Ruiz may win some more games as teammates, but none of significance. Nothing in the realm of five straight National League East titles, a franchise-record 102 wins and a World Series crown.

Those days are now memories.

But on a sunny, blue-sky afternoon at baseball's cathedral Saturday, there the core was — on top of the baseball world again.

One last time. One last goodbye.

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