Today in Cooperstown, New York, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, with his wife Brandy delivering a moving speech in front of 57 living Hall of Famers. Tragically, Halladay died in a plane crash (the plane piloted by him) a little over 14 months before he would be elected to the Hall. This piece will celebrate some of Halladay’s greatest starts, the Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moments that make the pitcher known as “Doc” a Hall inductee.
To learn more about Halladay’s great career and what makes him a worthy first ballot selection, I invite you to read this piece published shortly after his election this January.
To go over, once again, the ground rules established in the already-published pieces about the Hall of Fame exploits of Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina, ranking these moments from 1 to 10 is a highly subjective process so I’m going to go through each player’s career moments chronologically instead. In this piece about Halladay, rather than edit for space, I decided to share some thoughts about some “bonus moments” that I subjectively left out of the top 10 but felt that you, the reader, might enjoy as I did the researcher/writer.
Some of these clips will appear “full frame” in the body of the piece; others will require a link click into a separate browser. Why? That’s technology.
Anyway, if you’re a baseball fan and in particular a Roy Halladay fan, please enjoy this trip down memory lane.
(cover photo: Fred Thornhill/Canadian Press)
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #1: Sept. 27, 1998 (Tigers v Blue Jays)
This was the just the second career start for the 21-year old Roy Halladay, a first round pick of the Blue Jays in 1995. In his first start 7 days earlier, Halladay had given up 3 runs (with 2 ER) in 5 innings at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay.
In this, his second outing, on what was the last day of the regular season, the 6 foot 6 inch right-hander flashed a preview of the dominant ace he would later become. Doc retired the first 12 batters he faced. In the top of the 5th inning, Tony Clark reached on an error by 2nd baseman Craig Grebeck. Halladay retired the next three batters to get out of the inning and then proceeded to toss three more perfect innings.
In the top of the 9th, the rookie right-hander was nursing a 2-0 lead and had the opportunity to toss a no-hitter. The first batter (Gabe Kapler) lined out to left field. Next, pinch-hitter Paul Bako hit a weak grounder to second base. With just one out to go to clinch the no-no, pinch-hitter Bobby Higginson hit a solo home run to spoil both the no-hitter and the shutout. Halladay retired the final batter (Frank Catalanotto) to clinch his first MLB victory and complete game. For the start, Halladay needed just 95 pitches to log 8 strikeouts, no walks, and give up the lone hit.
If you want to re-watch this or any other clip after it’s finished, hit the re-fresh button at the bottom of the frame.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #2: Oct. 5, 2001 (Indians v Blue Jays)
After the brilliant season-ending performance in 1998, Halladay opened the ’99 season on the big league roster. Used as a swingman, he went 8-7 with a 3.92 ERA. The next year, however, was truly miserable. The now 23-year old righty went 4-7 with a horrific 10.64 ERA in a season that included two trips back to the minor leagues.
Halladay went all the way back to single-A ball in 2001 to re-discover his pitching fundamentals and returned to the majors in July. After one awful outing he settled down to log a 2.97 ERA over his next 15 starts. As it was in 1998, the final start of the season proved to have magic for Doc. He tossed a 2-hit shutout with 8 strikeouts and no walks against a powerful Indians lineup.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #3: Sept. 6, 2003 (Tigers at Blue Jays)
Halladay won 19 games in 2002 while making his first All-Star team. In 2003, he was even better. He went 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA and a MLB-leading 9 complete games en route to his first Cy Young Award.
Halladay entered the month of September with a 17-6 record and 6 starts remaining. On September 1st, he won his 18th game by beating the New York Yankees 8-1 on a 4-hit, 1-run, 10-strikeout performance.
The next game, against the Tigers, represented Halladay’s top performance of the season. Channeling his inner Jack Morris, Halladay pitched 10 shutout innings (3 hits, 1 BB, 5 K). His teammates delivered Doc his 19th victory on a Bobby Kielty walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th. Halladay navigated those 10 innings with just 99 pitches.
Halladay would toss three more complete games in his next four starts to close the season with 22 victories. His 20th win (on September 11th in Tampa Bay) was a 3-1 triumph.
He won his 21st game six days later on a 6-hit shutout against the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Bonus Moment: Sept. 27, 2003 (Indians at Blue Jays)
After a loss in his next start, Halladay beat the Indians 5-4 in his final start of the campaign. It was another complete game effort, this one coming with a season high 122 pitches. With 22 wins, Halladay set an all-time record for the Blue Jays.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #4: Sept. 25, 2008 (Yankees at Blue Jays)
In his final start of the 2008 season, Halladay defeated the New York Yankees to win 20 games for the second time in his career. With his league-leading 9th complete game (6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), Halladay closed out a 20-11 campaign with a 2.78 ERA. It was good enough for a 2nd place finish (to Cliff Lee) in the A.L. Cy Young Award voting.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #5: Sept. 4, 2009 (Yankees at Blue Jays)
During the 2009 season, it became widely expected that Halladay, who had never pitched in the postseason, would be traded in the off-season. Doc delighted the Rogers Centre fans with two gems in his final three outings in Toronto while wearing a Blue Jays uniform.
In this game, against the mighty New York Yankees, who would win 103 games and the World Series this season, Halladay tossed the second one-hitter of his illustrious career.
In a lineup featuring stars like Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Hideki Matsui, and Jorge Posada, it was the immortal Ramiro Pena who scratched out the lone hit against Doc, a 6th inning double down the right field line. Halladay walked two of the next three batters and thus had to face Rodriguez with two outs and the bases loaded. On four pitches, Halladay got A-Rod to strike out looking.
Halladay finished the game with three perfect innings to secure the 6-0 victory.
Bonus Moment: Sept. 25, 2009 (Mariners v Blue Jays)
Three weeks later, Halladay’s late September start against Seattle was expected to be his final one in a Blue Jays uniform at Rogers Centre.
Halladay did not disappoint the home fans. In a crisply played game that took just 2 hours, 11 minutes, Halladay tossed a 7-hit shutout (0 BB, 9 K) to easily win the game 5-0.
Bonus Moment: Sept 30, 2009 (Blue Jays v Red Sox)
For good measure, Halladay blanked the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park (by a 12-0 score) in his final start of the season, tossing a 3-hit shutout (2 BB, 6 K). It was the 49th complete game and 15th shutout in Doc’s 12 years wearing a Blue Jays uniform.
Overall, in 12 years with the Toronto Blue Jays, Roy Halladay won nearly two thirds of his starts (148-76, .661) despite pitching for a team that never made the expanded playoffs.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #6: May 29, 2019 (Phillies v Marlins)
Halladay was traded in December 2009 to the Philadelphia Phillies, the two-time defending N.L. Pennant winners. Halladay did not disappoint in his first season with the Phils. He won 6 of his first 7 starts of the season (posting a 1.45 ERA in 56 innings while throwing 2 shutouts and 3 complete games). The team lost Doc’s next 3 starts so he entered his 11th outing of the campaign with a 6-3 record and 2.22 ERA.
Against the Florida Marlins on May 29th, Halladay came out gunning. He struck out the first two batters he faced. 22 batters later, Halladay was clinging to a 1-0 lead having yielded no hits with no walks and no batters on base by error. He got Mike Lamb to fly out to deep center field, struck out Wes Helms and then induced a ground ball to third base by Ronny Paulino to secure the 20th perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. Halladay needed 115 pitches to navigate his history-making perfecto.
Two ways to watch this. The first clip shows the final out only:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drP8OMTmH-c
To see a longer version of Halladay’s masterpiece, the link is below:
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #7: Sept. 27, 2010 (Phillies at Nationals)
In September 2010, Halladay won his last five starts to finish the season with a 21-10 record and 2.44 ERA. Along with 9 complete games and 4 total shutouts, Doc was a unanimous choice for his second Cy Young Award.
In this game, in Washington against the Nationals, Halladay logged that 9th CG and 4th shutout by blanking the Nats on 2 hits in a 97-pitch outing that featured no walks and 6 strikeouts. The win clinched the N.L. East title for the Phillies, securing for Halladay his first postseason opportunity.
The 2010 Post-season
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #8: Oct. 6, 2010: NLDS Game 1 (Reds at Phillies)
Baseball history is replete with examples of star pitchers who struggle in their first postseason outings. Roy Halladay would not embody one of those examples. In his first playoff start (NLDS Game 1 against the Cincinnati Reds), Halladay’s teammates gave him a 4-0 lead after just two innings. It was three more runs than he needed.
Halladay mowed down the Reds by authoring just the second no-hitter in the history of the postseason, an 8-strikeout, 104-pitch masterpiece. The lone blemish was a 5th inning walk to Jay Bruce.
Halladay’s no-no set the pace for the Phillies, who swept the Reds in 3 games to advance to their 3rd consecutive trip to the NLCS.
In Game 1 of the NLCS, Halladay was beaten by the San Francisco Giants 4-3 thanks to two home runs to Cody Ross in an outing in which he gave up 4 runs in 7 innings.
Bonus Moment: Oct. 21, 2010: NLCS Game 5 (Phillies v Giants)
The Phillies trailed the Giants 3 Games to 1 after the first 4 games of the series which made Game 5 an elimination game. Halladay labored in this outing because of a strained groin in the 2nd inning. Thanks to the injury, Doc’s fastball never topped 90 MPH but he still managed to toss 6 innings of 2-run ball, helping the Phillies to a 4-2 victory.
Alas, for Halladay and his teammates, a 3rd consecutive trip to the World Series was not in the offing. Back in Philadelphia for Game 6, the Giants won 3-2 to capture the N.L. pennant.
2011: Halladay’s Final Cooperstown Caliber Campaign
In his second season in the City of Brotherly Love, Halladay got off to another fast start. At the All-Star break Doc was 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA, a record that earned him his second All-Star start. It was the 8th time overall that Halladay was picked for his league’s roster in the Mid-Summer Classic. Coming into this start, Halladay’s All-Star record had not matched his overall excellence; he had given up 6 runs in 6.2 IP in 5 previous appearances.
Bonus Moment: July 12, 2011 (All-Star Game)
In this, his final All-Star outing, Halladay flashed the form that would earn him a Cooperstown plaque. As the “home team” starting pitcher (at Chase Field in Arizona), Doc tossed two perfect innings to help lead the N.L. to a 5-1 victory.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #9: Sept. 14, 2011 (Phillies v Astros)
In his second superb campaign in a Phillies uniform, as was his custom, Halladay saved his best effort for the final month of the campaign. On this night in Houston, Halladay tossed the 20th and final regular season shutout of his illustrious career. Doc needed just 105 pitches to record 7 strikeouts (with 6 hits and 1 walk) in the Phillies’ 1-0 victory, a game in which the team clinched another postseason berth.
Starting with his two starts in 1998, nobody completed more starts than the 67 completed by Roy Halladay. Only Randy Johnson matched Halladay’s 20 shutouts from ’98 and beyond. Halladay’s ability to go the distance was not based on his managers routinely abusing his right arm. He threw more than 120 pitches in only 7 of his 67 complete games. He threw fewer than 110 pitches in 35 of his 67 CG’s. Halladay had a unique ability to manage a lineup with efficiency.
With his 8 complete games at the age of 2011, he led his league in that category for the 7th time in his career.
Overall, Halladay finished the ’11 campaign with a 19-6 record (2.35 ERA). It was good enough for a 2nd place finish in the Cy Young vote (to Clayton Kershaw) and his efforts helped the Phillies back to the postseason.
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame Moment #10: Oct. 7, 2011: NLDS Game 5 (Cardinals v Phillies)
Up against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, the Phillies bats exploded for 11 runs in Game 1, giving Halladay an easy victory in a game in which he gave up 3 runs in 8 innings.
It was in the “win or go home” Game 5 that we witnessed a classic duel between former teammates and old friends, Roy Halladay and the Cards’ Chris Carpenter. The Redbirds struck first blood, thanks to a 1st inning leadoff triple by Rafael Furcal, followed by a Skip Schumaker double. Halladay would not give up another run in the rest of his 8-inning outing.
Halladay and the Phils, however, were bested by Carpenter, who pitched the game of his life, a shutout in which he gave up just 3 hits and in which he didn’t walk a soul. The Cards won 1-0, advancing to the NLCS.
Eventually, in the final season in St. Louis for both manager Tony La Russa and first baseman Albert Pujols, the Cards won the World Series.
For Roy Halladay, it was the last big game he would ever pitch.
“The hard part is you think about all the hard work you put in over the course of the year, all the anticipation, all the excitement,” Halladay said. “You have two days leading up to the game today, knowing how big the game is going to be. All of a sudden that kind of dissipates. It’s tough. It’s hard to have it end like that. You always want to finish happy.”
- Roy Halladay (in Todd Zolecki’s piece on mlb.com)
Postscript
Roy Halladay got off to a good start in 2012, going 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his first 3 starts. However, he slumped to an 8-8 mark with a 5.06 ERA in his final 22 starts.
The next year (2013), plagued by a bone spur, frayed labrum and partially torn rotator cuff in his golden right arm, he went 4-5 with a woeful 6.82 ERA in just 62 innings in what would be his final MLB season. At 36, Halladay’s career was over.
On November 7, 2017, Roy Halladay died at the age of 40. Halladay, an avid amateur pilot, took his ICON A5 Founders Edition amphibious plane up into the air near his Clearwater, Florida home. He crashed to his death in the Gulf of Mexico, 10 miles west of St. Petersburg.
14 months later Halladay joined Mariano Rivera as a first-ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame. Sadly, he was not able be present to bask in the glory of his achievements on the mound.
Harry Leroy Halladay III is survived by his wife Brandy and his two sons Braden and Ryan. Today they witnessed the unveiling of the plaque in his honor at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown. Brandy Halladay’s speech for posthumous induction of Halladay was the most emotional moment of the ceremony.
“It’s overwhelming the amount of people here today… A special thanks to all these men behind me who I can’t look at because I’ll cry again. I can’t tell you how many hugs I’ve gotten, that all of your families too have extended so much love and friendship to myself and to my children… Anybody who thinks truly isn’t a family hasn’t been involved in baseball. I know how honored Roy would be to be sitting here today with such accomplished men who have represented this game so well over the course of all of your careers.”
— Brandy Halladay (Hall of Fame induction ceremony, July 21, 2019)
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Chris Bodig
