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Cole Hamels thanks Philadelphia with full-page ad

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
(AP)
(AP)

Parting is such sweet sorrow, even when we're fully prepared for the new road ahead.

On Saturday, Cole Hamels officially started his new journey with the Texas Rangers exactly one week to the day after his historic final appearance with the Philadelphia Phillies. On that day, Hamels went out on the highest of highs, pitching the 13th no-hitter in franchise history. An accomplishment Hamels said ranked second only to winning a World Series championship in Philadelphia.

As they always say though, when one door closes, another door opens. In his Rangers debut, Hamels was not so sharp, allowing five runs over seven-plus in a 9-7 loss to San Francisco. However, if Hamels is to make history and win a championship again, it will likely come in a Texas Rangers uniform.

That's his future. But before he gets too comfortable, Hamels and his wife Heidi wanted to bid the city of Philadelphia a proper farewell and thank Phillies fans for their support with this special full-page ad in Sunday's morning Philadelphia Inquirer.

The message reads:

You have given us memories that will last a lifetime. Philadelphia is the 'City of Brotherly Love' and we cannot thank you enough for the love that you have shown our family during out time here.

To the many fans, friends and family that we have made here, we are eternally grateful. Philadelphia is where we made our first home and where we started our family, and it will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We wish the Philadelphia Phillies, their fans and the entire city of Philadelphia the very best. Thank you again for being an amazing part of our lives! We will never forget you.

As always, a classy gesture from an out-going athlete to the city he's leaving behind. On Friday, the Inquirer also paid tribute to Hamels, taking his full-page goodbye.

Hamels has spent his entire professional career with the Phillies organization after being drafted with the 17th overall pick in 2002. He made his debut on May 12, 2006 and never really looked back, making no less than 28 starts in each full season since.

Hamels finishes his Phillies career with 114 wins and a 3.30 ERA over 294 starts and one relief appearance. He also appeared in five straight postseasons for Philadelphia, helping them to a World Series championship in 2009.

There were a lot of highs and a few lows too toward the end, but overall his time in Philadelphia was filled with positive memories.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!