Author Topic: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread  (Read 1709 times)

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Online varoadking

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Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Topic Start: December 21, 2020, 08:37:02 PM »
Howie Kendrick retires a Nationals legend after 15 years in MLB



With one resounding ding off the right field foul pole at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Howie Kendrick solidified his status as a Washington Nationals legend.

Kendrick came to the plate in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. He swung at a pitch down and away. And he watched as that ball tailed and tailed before clanging off the foul pole for a two-run home run, the go-ahead knock that gave Washington control in the deciding win against the Houston Astros.

In Kendrick’s 15 MLB seasons, he had plenty of big moments. Perhaps none were larger than that, though, crossing home plate and skipping toward the dugout and celebrating with his teammates, one step closer to a World Series title.

Kendrick announced Monday on Instagram that he was retiring from the league after 15 seasons. He spent three and a half of those seasons with the Nationals, toward the tail-end of a career that included stints with the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.

“A dream that started as a 5 yr old boy in the town of Callahan, Florida,” Kendrick wrote on Instagram. “I will be forever grateful for the many life lessons baseball has taught me on this 32 yr journey.

“I want to give praise and thanks first to God and secondly my grandmother, Ruth Woods, who laid the groundwork and introduced me to the game of baseball. To my Wife, Jody, my sons Owen and Tyson, I love you more than anything in this world. Thank you for sticking it out on this ride I called a dream.”

His batting average after those 15 seasons rests at .294 — a mark befitting a player fondly described as a “professional hitter.” During his 238 regular season games with the Nationals, that average rose to .316, along with 30 home runs and 113 RBIs.


Howie Kendrick retired.

Greatest hit of my baseball fan life.

His schedule should be clear for showing up at home openers etc.

I think he called them 1a and 1b for his career:

(Image removed from quote.)

And
(Image removed from quote.)

Which one?

Pick 'em?

My all time favorite Nat, and will likely always be.  He's 1a to my childhood hero, Nellie Fox...

Good for him...a NLDS MVP and WS Champion...

Nats baseball won't be the same, for me anyway, without him...

Build the Statue

Mods, can this be broken out into it’s own thread? Howie deserves one.

I started a new thread...

Could not think of a more appropriate thread-starter...

:thumbs:


Offline HondoKillebrew

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #1: December 21, 2020, 08:42:28 PM »
Always liked him as a player even before he joined the Nats.  Was thrilled we signed him but never could've imagined the role he'd play in bringing us a Series victory.  What a great player and person.  Thank you, Howie. 

Online imref

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2: December 21, 2020, 08:57:50 PM »
:clap:

Offline The Chief

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #3: December 21, 2020, 09:04:20 PM »
:cheers:

Legend forever, it's a fact in my mind  8)

Online Five Banners

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #4: December 21, 2020, 09:06:45 PM »
He went out with a clang

Offline HondoKillebrew

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #6: December 21, 2020, 09:31:43 PM »

Online imref

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #7: December 21, 2020, 09:33:07 PM »

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #8: December 21, 2020, 09:54:00 PM »

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #9: December 21, 2020, 09:55:33 PM »
Howie was a ballplayer who touched people - not with an ego, but with actions that spoke louder than words.  Howie was a teammate who looked for ways to lift other teammates and remind them that positive events were on the way.

Online Five Banners

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #10: December 21, 2020, 09:55:52 PM »


The Different feeds they have on the discs are interesting to replay. The Spanish one is memorable — “Howie Kendrick, el hombre clutch!”

Offline skippy1999

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #11: December 22, 2020, 12:56:25 AM »
Nationals legend for sure-“this is Howie do it” typed more times than anyone can remember, what a spark he was for our team. Thank you for giving us your all Howie, 2019 was epic and you were such a huge part of it :clap: :worship:

Offline rileyn

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #12: December 22, 2020, 06:53:14 AM »
Legend!  Those two homers in 2019 postseason were such incredible jolts.  Both of them so unexpected and so amazing to look back on.  Thank you the forever memories, Howie!

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Offline DCFan

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Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #15: December 22, 2020, 08:42:40 AM »
from his instagram post:

Quote
After 15 MLB seasons, I’ve decided to retire from the game of baseball. A dream that started as a 5 yr old boy in the town of Callahan, Florida. I will be forever grateful for the many life lessons baseball has taught me on this 32 yr journey. I want to give praise and thanks first to God and secondly my grandmother, Ruth Woods, who laid the ground work and introduced me to the game of baseball. To my Wife Jody, my sons Owen and Tyson, I love you more than anything in this world. Thank you for sticking it out on this ride I called a dream. After all of this we’ve made it to dad being home everyday. I’m looking forward to being a constant pain in your butt day in and day out. To everyone in Callahan who did their part to keep me on the straight and narrow, you’ve never been forgotten. To the LA Angels, thank you for taking a chance on me in 2002 and helping me blossom into the consistent player I became. To the Dodgers, although the opportunity to wear Dodger Blue was brief, it will always be cherished. To the Philadelphia Phillies, thank you for helping me understand what it meant to become a leader and veteran. Last but not least, my Beloved Washington Nationals, thank you for embracing me as one of your own. I feel as though I’d been a National my whole career and the wild, humbling and crazy ride we had in 2019 truly culminated everything I’d learned in my career, and we all became World Champions. To my teammates throughout the years, thank you for the times and hardships we’ve shared. I’ve learned from you and hopefully taught some of you the bits and pieces I got from the guys before me. To the fans, without your support and love for the game, our stage and lights would not shine as brightly as they do. Know you will be missed as well. I will always love the game of baseball and will constantly reflect on the lifelong memories made. For now, it’s time to drop the mic and enter a new stage of my life.

Thank You!

Howard Kendrick

Glad it worked for you, Howie.  Love your priorities and perspective.  Hoping you continue to bring joy to everyone in your life.  Thanks for keeping baseball fun for us, and while bumpy roads often lead to beautiful places, I'm hoping for some smooth ones for you to get to that beautiful place.

Offline MonsterUSMC

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #16: December 22, 2020, 09:34:53 AM »
Thank you, Howie.
Truly wishing him nothing but success in all he does.

Online aspenbubba

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #17: December 22, 2020, 09:42:33 AM »
A pro in every respect . He always delivered that crucial hit.  I wish we had him longer as he would mean so much to our younger players.  We will miss you as will the game.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #18: December 22, 2020, 09:51:17 AM »
A pro in every respect . He always delivered that crucial hit.  I wish we had him longer as he would mean so much to our younger players.  We will miss you as will the game.
Good luck Howie. Quite the career and quite the pinnacle in 2019.

Offline DCFan

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #19: December 22, 2020, 10:28:32 AM »


You forgot the posts from the Former Nationals Watch thread in the Out of Town Scoreboard.  :mg:

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #20: December 22, 2020, 03:37:22 PM »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/12/21/howie-kendrick-announces-retirement/

Quote
It’s somehow a footnote that, on the way to the 2019 title, Kendrick won MVP of the National League Championship Series. That’s what happens when one homer buried the favored Dodgers in the NL Division Series and another pushed his team ahead in Game 7 of the World Series. The first was a grand slam off Joe Kelly in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. The second, off current Nationals reliever Will Harris, sliced into the foul pole at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The championship may never have happened if both balls hadn’t cleared the fence.

That’s Kendrick’s legacy in Washington — a professional hitter who, when it counted most, lifted a city with his swing. He was under-recruited in high school, under-scouted in college, then underappreciated in the back half of his career. But after becoming a postseason hero, Kendrick had multiyear offers from American League teams last winter. They wanted to make him a designated hitter. It seemed like a logical way to go out.

Instead, in a faithful act to Washington, he rejoined the Nationals on a one-year, $6.25 million deal for 2020. It’s tough now, for him and the fans, that there was never a chance to send him off, that the coronavirus pandemic kept them out of the stands and shrunk his last act to 25 games. His final career line includes 6,421 plate appearances, 1,747 hits and a .294 batting average. And nothing will reverberate like those two October blasts.

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #22: December 22, 2020, 04:14:28 PM »
The minute this pandemic ends, there better be a Howie Kendrick Day at Nats park.
Pleading ignorance here but was there ever a National honored with a day? Jayson Werth? Zim will get one for sure as he has meant so much to the team and the community.

Offline UMDNats

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #23: December 22, 2020, 04:25:38 PM »
does he get his name up in the Ring of Honor with unforgettable Nats Vlad and Pudge?

Offline DCFan

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Re: Howie Kendrick Appreciation Thread
« Reply #24: December 22, 2020, 04:27:18 PM »
does he get his name up in the Ring of Honor with unforgettable Nats Vlad and Pudge?

He better push them outta the way.