Gotta admit, it’s still kind of weird seeing Cole Hamels in a non-Phillies uniform.

The 2008 World Series MVP went four innings against the Phils last night, giving up three runs on nine hits while striking out six and throwing 99 total pitches in an 8-4 Chicago Cubs win.

But Hamels still has Philly in his thoughts, and Jim Salisbury at NBC Sports Philadelphia shared a great story about his interest in honoring late chairman David Montgomery, who passed away two weeks ago after a five year battle with cancer.

Writes Salisbury:

The Phillies are wearing a patch with the initials DPM on the right sleeve of their game jerseys in honor of Montgomery.

Though Hamels now pitches for the Chicago Cubs and has not worn a Phillies jersey since July 2015 when he was traded to Texas, a piece of him remains with the club and a piece of Montgomery remains in his heart. That’s why Hamels reached out to Greg Casterioto of the Phillies communications department and asked if he could get one of the patches when the Phillies traveled to Chicago. Chris Ware of the Phillies communications department plans to catch up with Hamels before Thursday’s series finale and deliver the patch.

It’s the small things that matter, right?

Hard to believe there were people in this city who thought Hamels was some soft California sissy boy, although I guess that mindset didn’t really set in until he struggled through the 2009 season. My opinion: he’s just as Philly as anybody and helped bring this town its first championship in a quarter of a century.