Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III[1] (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nickname, "Doc", was coined by Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek,[2] and was a reference to Wild West gunslinger Doc Holliday. An eight-time All-Star, Halladay was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era and is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.[3][4][5] Known for his outstanding durability, he led the league in complete games seven times, the most of any pitcher whose career began after 1945.[1][6] He also led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio five times and innings pitched four times.[6]
For the British vice-admiral, see Roy Halliday.Roy Halladay
Raised in Arvada, Colorado, Halladay pitched at Arvada West High School, before being drafted 17th overall by the Blue Jays in the 1995 MLB draft. He made his major league debut in 1998, nearly pitching a no-hitter in his second career start. After struggling in 2000, he was demoted to the minor leagues, where he reworked his delivery and pitching. In 2002, Halladay established himself as a durable, elite starting pitcher, earning his first All-Star selection. The following year, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award and led the AL in complete games, which he accomplished five times in seven seasons, through 2009. He was traded to the Phillies before the 2010 season, and that year, he pitched both the 20th perfect game and the second postseason no-hitter in major league history, led the majors in shutouts for the second consecutive year, and won the National League (NL) Cy Young Award. In 2011, Halladay had another dominant season, leading the NL in complete games, but he was plagued by injuries the next two years. After the 2013 season, he announced his retirement as the active major league leader in complete games, with 67.
On November 7, 2017, Halladay died when he crashed his ICON A5 amphibious plane into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. He was 40 years old.[7][8][9] The Blue Jays organization posthumously retired his number 32 on March 29, 2018, with the Phillies retiring his number 34 on August 8, 2021. Halladay was announced as an inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on January 22, 2019; he was the first posthumously elected player since Deacon White in 2013 and the first posthumously elected by the BBWAA since Roberto Clemente in 1973.
Early life[edit]
Born in Denver, Colorado, Halladay grew up in the suburb of Arvada; his father, Harry Leroy II, was a pilot for a food-processing company, who began teaching his son to fly during childhood;[9] his mother, Linda, was a homemaker.[10] 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. By the age of 13, he had begun training with Colorado baseball guru Bus Campbell, who had helped almost every promising pitcher from the Denver area, including Goose Gossage and Brad Lidge.[11]
Halladay attended Arvada West High School, where he led the school's baseball team to a 6A state championship in 1994.[12] In 1995, after graduating from high school,[1] he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the amateur draft, in the first round, as the 17th overall pick. Halladay decided to forego his college baseball commitment to Arizona and sign with Toronto.[13] He was promoted to the major-league club as a September call-up in 1998.[14] Halladay was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though he did not practice later in life.[15]
Personal life[edit]
Halladay had two children, Braden and Ryan,[10] with his wife, Brandy (née Gates). During the offseason, Halladay lived with his family in Tarpon Springs, Florida.[34][109] Halladay's older son, Braden, committed to play baseball at Penn State shortly after Halladay's death.[104] Braden, who was born in Toronto, was invited to Baseball Canada's U18 spring training camp on March 6, 2018, and pitched a scoreless inning in the Canadian Junior team's exhibition game against the Blue Jays on March 17.[110][111] In the 2019 MLB draft, as a tribute to Halladay, Braden was selected by the Blue Jays in the 32nd round.[112]
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. The remodeling of the suite to be more kid-friendly was documented in an episode of Design Inc. As part of Halladay's contract with the Blue Jays, he also donated $100,000 each year to the Jays Care Foundation.[113][114]
Halladay was the Blue Jays' nominee numerous times for the Roberto Clemente Award for his work with underprivileged children.[115] For the same reason, he was also the Blue Jays' nominee in 2008 for the Players Choice Awards Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.[116]
Halladay was the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K11.[117]
Death[edit]
On November 7, 2017, Halladay died when the ICON A5 Founders Edition amphibious aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.[118][119] The Pasco County, Florida, Sheriff's Office confirmed that Halladay was the only occupant of the aircraft at the time of the crash and that air traffic controllers had not received any mayday distress signals from the plane before the crash. The crash was reported to have happened about 0.25 mi (0.40 km) off the coast of New Port Richey, Florida,[118] in water 4 feet (1.22 m) deep.[55]
The Pasco Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to the accident after a call at noon, reporting that a sport plane had crashed upside-down into shallow water. The plane was reported to be Halladay's, and he had tweeted four weeks earlier about his excitement about acquiring the plane, which was reportedly registered in the name of Halladay's father, a retired commercial pilot.[120][121]
An autopsy report by the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office released in January 2018 revealed that Halladay's blood contained morphine, hydromorphone, amphetamine, fluoxetine (an antidepressant), baclofen (a muscle relaxant), and zolpidem (a sleep aid sold under the brand name Ambien).[9] According to forensic pathologist Burr Hartman, "He had a drug combination similar to a speedball. He was impaired by these drugs. It was definitely not safe for him to fly an airplane."[122] On April 15, 2020, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report stating that in addition to the drugs, Halladay was executing aerobatics including steep climbs and turns, and the plane sometimes came within 5 feet (1.5 m) of the water before a final climb caused its speed to fall to 85 mph (137 km/h), after which it nosedived into the sea and Halladay was killed by blunt force trauma and drowning.[123][124] The NTSB determined the probable cause of the crash to be the "pilot's improper decision to perform aggressive, low-altitude maneuvers due to his impairment from the use of multiple psychoactive substances, which resulted in a loss of control".[125]
Halladay and his wife, Brandy, appeared in a since-removed promotional video for the aircraft with her stating her strong objections to him buying the plane.[126]