Baseball Legend Gone Too Soon
Harry Leroy Halladay III died in a plane crash on Nov. 7, 2017. He was commonly known as Roy Halladay and gained the nickname “Doc” during his lifetime. Halladay was a baseball player, having played from 1998 to 2013. During that time he was a dominant force and was among the best pitchers in all of baseball.
Halladay first started with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sep. 20, 1998. He had some good plays and then some bad and eventually was sent back down to the minors, slowly building his way back up to the majors again. In 2002, Halladay had a breakout year in which he never looked back. He had an impressive record of 19-7 along with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.93. That year was the first of 8 all-star selections for Halladay. The next season was even better and he totaled 22 wins and his ERA went up to 3.25. However, the 2002 season year proved to be much more recognizable, as he went on to win the American League Cy Young award, and was also the MLB Wins leader.
The only obstacle that Halladay ever faced in his career, were injuries. Halladay had been on the disabled list often in the mid 2000s, even missing out on an all-star game start due to a broken leg in 2005. This would also affect Halladay even more towards the end of his career.
Halladay dominated the league in the mid-to-late 2000s, posting an ERA of 2.98 from 2001-2011, exceptional for a decade to have that kind of consistency. Especially considering that eight out of 10 years, he was pitching in the American League, where there is an extra batter due to the designated hitter. The only time that Halladay wasn’t an all-star or one of the top pitchers was due to injuries.
Halladay made a lot of history when he was traded from the Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies in December of 2009. For his first season with the Phillies in 2010, he pitched a perfect game, was the National League Cy Young award winner, and the MLB wins leader for the second time in his career. Halladay also made history in the postseason, as he threw a no hitter and was the first pitcher to throw a no hitter since 1965 when Don Larsen threw one for the Dodgers in the World Series. The next few years, injuries were common obstacles, and his last few years pitching weren’t the typical Roy Halladay years. Halladay retired from baseball at the end of the 2013 season due to injuries.
A warm day in November would prove to be the curtain call for this legendary pitcher. On Nov. 7, Halladay died in a plane crash as he was piloting an ICON A5, crashing it in the Gulf of Mexico. Halladay was the only person on this aircraft at the time of the accident. Halladay will likely be a first ballot hall of famer, and he will be greatly missed by many.
