Jimmy Rollins. Then Chase Utley. Now Carlos Ruiz.
Thursday closed another chapter of the Phillies' golden era.
Ruiz, the Phillies' catcher since 2006 and arguably the most impactful in franchise history, has been traded to the Dodgers (along with cash) for catcher A.J. Ellis, minor-league right-hander Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later.
Rollins was dealt to the Dodgers in December 2014. Utley, still with Los Angeles, was traded to the Dodgers in August 2015.
Ryan Howard is now the lone holdover from the Phillies' 2008 world champion club.
In 11 big-league seasons — all with the Phillies — Ruiz has hit .266 with a .352 on-base percentage and been lauded for his game-calling abilities. This season, the 37-year-old is batting .261 with a .368 OBP, three home runs and 12 RBIs in a reserve role. Ruiz joined the Phillies' organization in 1998 when the team signed him as an amateur free agent. In 2016, he was playing out his final season in red pinstripes, the final year of a three-year, $26 million deal.
"I met Chooch in 2009 for the first time and immediately sensed that he was a special player," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "But more importantly, over the years I grew to know that he is a special person. I'll miss him."
MLB
Ruiz has caught the fourth-most games in Phillies history with 1,029, behind only Mike Lieberthal (1,139), Red Dooin (1,124) and Bob Boone (1,094).
"Carlos not only was — and is — a good teammate, he [also] learned how to become the leader he needed to be behind the plate running a pitching staff," former Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer said. "As a teammate, he always had that Ruiz smile that we all have come to love!"
Ruiz caught Cole Hamels' no-hitter in July of last season, marking the catcher's fourth no-no behind the plate, tying him for most in MLB history with Jason Varitek.
"He’s a tremendous catcher and it just shows," Hamels said after no-hitting the Cubs at Wrigley Field. "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."
The Panama native, beloved and known by the Delaware Valley as "Chooch," quickly became a fan favorite. He was the staple behind home plate of the team's five-year run from 2007-11, in which it won five National League East titles, two NL pennants and, of course, the World Series championship in 2008.
"They are my favorite fans in the world," Ruiz said in February, "and we have some good memories together."
Many of them.
He became Roy Halladay's all-time favorite battery mate (see story), catching the right-hander's perfect game and postseason no-hitter in 2010.
He played a career-high 132 games in 2011, while handling the Phillies' vaunted rotation en route to a franchise-record 102 wins.
He put together an All-Star season in 2012, hitting .325 with a .394 OBP, 16 homers and 68 RBIs.
The most cherished, though, came on the chilly night of Oct. 29, 2008 — being under the dogpile on the Citizens Bank Park infield after catching Brad Lidge's World Series-winning strikeout.
"All I wanted was a chance to play professional baseball,” he said (see story). "I'm thankful the Phillies gave it to me."
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said the trade "was about doing the right thing for Carlos because he has meant so much to this organization,” (see story).
Like Ruiz, Ellis had spent his entire career with one organization. The 35-year-old veteran played nine seasons with the Dodgers and became Clayton Kershaw's go-to catcher.
Ellis was emotional Thursday speaking with reporters in Los Angeles.
“To have been the longest-tenured Dodger was something I was extremely proud of," he said. "To have that gone now in a blink of an eye, without much time to really feel finality to it, it rips your heart out.
“To know that in almost all likelihood I’ll never get to catch [Kershaw] again is without a doubt the most devastating thing that I’m feeling right now.”
Klentak was pleased with the additions of both Ellis and Bergjans, a 23-year-old prospect at Single A who pitched at Haverford College before being drafted by the Dodgers in 2015.
"Tommy was an excellent college performer,” Klentak said (see story). “He has controlled the strike zone well in a tough league. We're always looking to add starting pitching and we had a chance to do it. He strikes out better than a batter an inning and limits walks, which was appealing.”