Happy Birthday to the late and great Roy Halladay. Hall of Fame starting pitcher, who in his era was arguably the best starter in the 2000s and early 2010s.

Career Statistics (1998-2013):

203-105 W-L, 3.38 ERA, 2,749.1 IP, 1.128 WHIP, 2,117 SO

• 8x All-Star

• 2x Cy Young Awards

Earlier in his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, he was named “Doc.” It wasn’t that long ago that he pitched, and Halladay was famous for his durability. Halladay led the league in Innings Pitched and Shutouts four times and Complete Games seven times. What made Halladay dominant was his two-seam sinking fastball with pinpoint control. In addition, Halladay threw a four-seam fastball, a curveball, and a cut fastball. Despite being known as a ground ball pitcher who worked efficiently, Halladay’s strikeout totals increased as his career wore on.

Regarding judging a Hall of Fame starting pitcher, Roy Halladay is a well-deserved Hall of Famer. Two Cy Young awards, one in each league, nine what I like to call “Hall of Fame seasons,” has black type on the back of his baseball card in Wins, WHIP, Innings Pitched, Shutouts, and Complete Games. He has that defining moment tossing a no-hitter in his first career postseason appearance in 2010. Also, he pitched excellently during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays when the team wasn’t good.

Unfortunately, Halladay was taken from the world far too soon in 2017. He deserved to get the call that he made the Hall of Fame and to have his day in Cooperstown. His number is retired by the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies; he’s also arguably the most significant Blue Jays to ever play.

References:

1. Roy Halladay Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hallaro01.shtml

2. Roy Halladay via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Halladay#Approach_to_pitching