Roy Halladay (2019)


Date of Birth: 5/14/1977
Date of Death: 11/7/2017
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado

Roy Halladay played baseball as a child and by the age of 13, he was a pitcher. He then went on to pitch on his high school team.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Halladay in the first round of the 1995 draft. He was the 17th pick overall. He played in the minor leagues from 1995 through most of 1998. He joined the Blue Jays for 2 games in 1998, and he had a 1.93 ERA in 14.0 innings.

In 1999, Halladay split his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen, pitching 18 games as a starter and 18 games as a reliever. He had 8 wins and 7 losses, 82 strikeouts to 79 walks, and a 3.92 ERA in 149.1 innings. The following year, he struggled in 13 games as a starter and 6 games in relief. In 67.2 innings in 2000, he had 4 wins and 7 losses, 44 strikeouts to 42 walks, and a 10.64 ERA.

Halladay became a full-time starting pitcher in 2001, and he played much better than he had in the previous two seasons. He finished the season with 5 wins and 3 losses, 96 strikeouts to 25 walks, and a 3.16 ERA in 105.1 innings in 17 games.

Halladay led the AL in innings pitched in 2002. He finished the season with 19 wins and 7 losses, 168 strikeouts to 62 walks, and a 2.93 ERA in 239.1 innings in 34 games. The following season was an even stronger one. He won the AL Cy Young award in 2003 and he again led the AL in innings pitched with 266.0. He had career highs in games played (36), innings pitched, and wins (22 to 7 losses). He struck out 204 batters and walked 32 and he had a 3.25 ERA.

Halladay spent time on the DL in 2004 with right shoulder issues. He finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, 95 strikeouts to 39 walks, and a 4.20 ERA in 133.0 innings in 21 games. The next season, his leg was broken in midseason by a line drive hit by a Texas Rangers batter. He pitched in 19 games in 2005, and he had 12 wins and 4 losses and a 2.41 ERA in 141.2 innings.

Halladay had similar seasons in 2006 and 2007, although his ERA was significantly higher in 2007 (3.71 in 2007 and 3.19 in 2006). He finished the 2006 season with 16 wins and 5 losss and 132 strikeouts to 34 walks in 220.0 innings in 32 games. In 2007, he had 16 wins again and 7 losses and 139 strikeouts to 48 walks in 225.1 innings in 31 games.

In 2008, Halladay led the AL in innings pitched with 246.0. He had 20 wins and 11 losses, 206 strikeouts to 39 walks, and a 2.78 ERA in 246.0 innings in 34 games. The following year, he had a 17-10 win-loss record, 208 strikeouts to 35 walks, and a 2.79 ERA in 239.0 innings in 32 games.

Philadelphia Phillies

Halladay was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on December 16, 2009. He had an outstanding season in 2010, winning the NL Cy Young award and leading the NL in innings pitched. On May 29th, he pitched a perfect game. He finished the season with 21 wins to 10 losses, 219 strikeouts to 30 walks, and a 2.44 ERA in 250.2 innings in 33 games.

Halladay's 2010 postseason was as remarkable as his regular season that year. On October 6th, he pitched a no-hitter in game one of the NL Division Series. He pitched 22.0 innings in 3 games and he gave up 14 hits and 6 runs. He won 2 games and lost 1, and he struck out 20 batters and walked just 3.

Halladay had a career high in strikeouts and a career low ERA in 2011. He had 19 wins and 6 losses, 220 strikeouts to 35 walks, and a 2.35 ERA in 233.2 innings in 32 games. In the postseason, he had a 2.25 ERA and 15 strikeouts to 2 walks. He gave up 9 hits and 4 runs in 16.0 innings in 2 games.

Halladay spent time on the DL with shoulder issues in his last two seasons in the major leagues. In 2012, he had 11 wins and 8 losses and a 4.49 ERA in 156.1 innings in 25 games. He pitched just 62.0 innings in 13 games in 2013, and he had 4 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 6.82.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL Cy Young award in 2003
  • NL Cy Young award in 2010
  • Led AL (and MLB) in wins (2 times)
  • Led AL in innings pitched (3 times)
  • Led NL in innings pitched in 2010

Career Statistics

Career pitching statistics for Halladay include:

  • 416 games played
  • 2,749.1 innings pitched
  • 203-105 win-loss record
  • 2,117 strikeouts to 592 walks
  • 3.38 ERA

Career postseason statistics for Halladay include:

  • 5 games played
  • 38.0 innings pitched
  • 3-2 win-loss record
  • 35 strikeouts to 5 walks
  • 2.37 ERA

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Halladay had stints as an instructor for both the Blue Jays and the Phillies.

Halladay died when the plane he was piloting crashed on November 7, 2017.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Roy Halladay
Baseball Reference - Roy Halladay

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