Atlanta Braves fans are no strangers to the Phillies tormenting them over the years. There are a few Philly players who seem to have Atlanta's number when they come to visit. Braves fans have seen players like Chase Utley, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper excel when facing them. One team simply brings out the best in some players, and it doesn't hurt when you get to face that team more than others.
There is one player from the last two decades that sticks out a little more than others as a Braves killer. That player was three-time All-Star and former NL MVP first baseman Ryan Howard.
Howard tormented Atlanta, as the powerful lefty carried an impressive .280/.362/.573 slash line over 183 games, with 32 doubles, 52 homers, 155 RBI, and a 935 OPS. Those are absolutely dominant numbers, and it stunk to be on the receiving end of them. He spent 13 years in Philadelphia and is tied for 71st on the all-time MLB home run leader list with 382 career round-trippers.
Braves tried to capture lightning in a bottle one last time with Ryan Howard and it really didn't work at all
So, when there was an opportunity for him to help the Braves instead of hurt them, it was a nice change of pace. Atlanta took a chance on Howard ahead of the 2017 season on a minor league contract and sent him to extended spring training.
Unfortunately, it didn't last long, and fans never saw him at the big league level. Howard played 11 games with Triple-A Gwinnett with a .184 average over 38 at-bats.
Howard was released from his contract a month later, despite rumors at the time that Atlanta may have him serve as their DH on an AL road trip. The front office just didn't see enough to keep him around for long.
He joined the Rockies a few months later on a minor league contract. Howard played in 16 games to end the season, but he didn't play for anyone the next season. He announced his retirement from professional baseball in September 2018. It was an impressive career for Howard, but almost every player knows when it's time to hang up the spikes.