Roy Halladay, often nicknamed “Doc”, was an American professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nickname, coined by Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek, was a reference to Wild West gunslinger “Doc” Holliday.
1. His full name was Harry Leroy Halladay III.
2. He was born on May 14, 1977.
3. He was born in Denver, Colorado.
4. Halladay grew up in the suburb of Arvada.
5. His father was a pilot for a food-processing company, while his mother was a homemaker.
6. From an early age, Halladay loved baseball, trying every position on the field until, by age 14, his success on the pitcher’s mound attracted the attention of major league scouts.
7. In 1995, after graduating from Arvada West High School, he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the amateur draft, in the first round, as the 17th overall pick.
8. He was promoted to the major-league club as a September call-up in 1998.
9. He was one of the most successful pitchers in the modern era with a career that stretched 16 years and saw him play for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies.
10. Roy Halladay’s ERA had not been 3.00 or higher in 868 days. The last time it was that high, it was all the way up there at 3.01 in 2009. He’s actually gotten better with age, as he posted his best ERA in 2011.
11. The Phillies are the only team he had never defeated.
12. There’s only one other team he has never beaten in the regular season: the San Francisco Giants. He, of course, did beat them in the 2010 NLCS, however.
13. Roy Halladay helped set off a benches-clearing incident in a 2003 Grapefruit League game after throwing near the arm of Jim Thome.
14. No one has struck out more times against Roy Halladay than Derek Jeter.
15. Roy Halladay was the third pitcher to win a Cy Young in both leagues, as well as start in an All-Star game for both leagues.
16. In 2002, Halladay had a breakout season, finishing with a 19–7 record, while posting a 2.93 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 239.1 innings. Halladay was named to the American League All-Star team.
17. In 2008, for the sixth consecutive year, Halladay was Toronto’s opening-day starter, improving his own club record.
18. Halladay was named by his peers as the Players Choice Awards NL Outstanding Pitcher. He was also unanimously chosen as the recipient of the 2010 National League Cy Young Award, becoming the first Phillie to win the award since Steve Bedrosian in 1987 and only the fifth pitcher in MLB history to win the award in both leagues, joining Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. He was likewise selected as the Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year, the USA Today NL Cy Young, the Baseball Prospectus Internet Baseball Awards NL Cy Young,[28] and the winner of the NLBM Wilbur “Bullet” Rogan Legacy Award (NL Pitcher of the Year).
19. In 250 2⁄3 innings pitched, Halladay finished the 2010 regular season with a 21–10 record and a 2.44 ERA, setting a career high with 219 strikeouts while issuing just 30 walks.
20. On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in MLB history, against the Florida Marlins in Miami, retiring all 27 batters and striking out 11, allowing no hits, runs, walks, or errors
21. On December 9, 2013, Halladay signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Blue Jays and announced his retirement from baseball due to injury.
22. He suffered from a persistent back injury.
23. He also wanted to be more involved with his family, as his reasons for retiring
24. Halladay had two children with his wife, Brandy. During the offseason, Halladay lived with his family in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
25. Although retired as a player, Halladay continued to be a part of the game as a guest instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays.
26. While he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Halladay and his wife invited children and their families from the Hospital for Sick Children into “Doc’s Box” at Rogers Centre during Blue Jays games.
27. Halladay was the Blue Jays’ nominee numerous times for the Roberto Clemente Award for his work with underprivileged children.
28. He was also the Blue Jays’ nominee in 2008 for the Players Choice Awards Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.
29. Halladay was the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K11.
30. He died on November 7, 2017.
31. Halladay died when the ICON A5 amphibious aircraft in which he was flying crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
32. Many of his social media posts involved him flying with friends and family members, and one in particular, posted October 31, showed him standing in front of the plane that crashed into the Gulf.
33. Halladay had dreamed about flying since he was a boy.
34. Also after his retirement, Halladay coached his son’s youth baseball teams to multiple championships, social media posts indicate.
35. Upon his retirement announcement, Halladay said that wife and children were what helped him to his success over the years.
"A Man in Full" is a new miniseries by David E. Kelley and directed by… Read More
Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited… Read More
Queen of Tears is a popular, successful K-Drama, that became the second highest series in… Read More
"Evil Does Not Exist" is the new film from the Oscar nominated screenwriter and director… Read More
Mufasa: The Lion King is an upcoming American musical drama film directed by Barry Jenkins,… Read More
