Pat Burrell headed to Phillies Wall of Fame

Fresh off the slip 'n slide circuit, former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell will join the Phillies Wall of Fame this July.

Burrell emerged as the early favorite from a field of 12 deserving candidates, including Jim Fregosi and Rick Wise. He is best remembered for his double in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. The hit, which was a gust of wind away from a home run and his first hit of the series, started the tie-breaking rally that eventually won Philadelphia its first championship in 25 years.

The Phillies plucked Burrell from the University of Miami with the first overall pick of the 1998 MLB Draft. A first baseman, he was converted to play left field and joined the Phillies at the major league level in 2000 at the age of 23. Over a nine-year Phillies career, he played in over 1,300 games, receving MVP votes twice in 2002 and 2005 and hitting .257/.367/.485, with 251 home runs and 827 RBI. His eight straight season of at least 20 home runs helped put him fourth on the Phillies' all-time home run list behind Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard, and Del Ennis.

Leaving the Phillies after the 2008 season, Burrell would go on to win a second World Series in 2010 with the Giants, for whom he now serves as a scout after 12 years in professional baseball. His Phillies immortality will begin July 31, during a 7:05 game against the Braves.


(philly.com)