After a 15-year career, former Phillies starting pitcher J.A. Happ has announced that he has retired from Major League Baseball. After stops with the Phillies, Astros, Mariners, Pirates, Yankees, Twins, Cardinals, and two stops with the Blue Jays, Happ has decided to hang up his glove after what can only be described as a solid MLB career.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round with the 92nd pick in the 2004 MLB draft, J.A. Happ made his debut for Philadelphia against the New York Yankees on June 30th, 2007. Happ would go on to make 46 appearances for Philly finishing his tenure as a Phillie with a record of 14-5 and an ERA of 3.11 while striking out 159 batters.
Happ would be traded to the Houston Astros in 2010 along with Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar for Roy Oswalt. This trade brought Philadelphia one step closer to building one of the greatest starting rotations Major League Baseball has ever seen — The Four Aces.
Happ continued his MLB career as a serviceable starter and saw a career resurgence of sorts between 2015-2020, even becoming an All-Star in 2018. The former Phillie finished his career with a record of 133-100, an ERA of 4.13, and 1661 strikeouts.
Happ was one of two remaining members of the 2008 Phillies squad that won the World Series — the other being Cole Hamels. He may not have been a lifer in Philadelphia, but whether directly or indirectly, J.A. Happ was an important part of the most recent era of success for the Phillies.
