The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced on Tuesday evening that former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay will be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer at Cooperstown, N.Y.
Joining Halladay in this year’s class will be Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees and Edgar Martinez, who played 18 seasons with Seattle Mariners. Halladay received 85.4-percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility on the ballot.
To get into the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown, a player must receive at 75-percent of the vote from the baseball writers. However, if said player receives less than five percent of the vote, they will be removed from consideration.
In regards to Halladay, it was an almost a no-brainer that he would be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. The outstanding ace pitcher tragically lost his life in a plane crash in Florida on Nov. 7, 2017.
The 40-year-old Halladay had a brilliant career with both the Blue Jays and Phillies that spanned over 16 seasons. In his decorated career, Doc had a record of 203-105 with an ERA of 3.35 to go along with 2,117 strikeouts in 2,749 innings pitched.
He was also named an all-star eight times and won both the A.L. (2003) and (2010) N.L. Cy Young Awards. Not to mention, Halladay also compiled 67 complete games and 20 shutouts, which is downright amazing in today’s game.
In his four-year career with the Phillies, Doc had a record of 55-29 with an ERA of 3.25. He also racked up 622 strikeouts in 702.2 innings pitched, averaging out to a solid SO/9 of 8.0.
Also during his Phillies career, Halladay would also throw a perfect game against the then Florida Marlins on May 29, 2010. The towering 6-foot-6 ace put together a masterful performance for the ages, striking out 11 in nine innings.
While that performance was special, the veteran star pitcher almost did it again, this time in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds.
In his playoff debut, Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history, striking out eight in nine innings and only allowing one walk. It was just another feat in the long-time career of the star pitcher.
Halladay retired from the game of baseball at 36 years old. A few months before he passed away, Doc was asked about possibly being enshrined in the Hall of Fame one day by Matt Breen of Philly.com.
“It would obviously be a tremendous honor. I don’t know what to think about it honestly,” he said. “You see guys get in that are deserving, and you see guys that are possibly deserving that don’t get in. Boy, it’s a tough thing to figure out. But absolutely I would love to be there. I think every player who ever played the game would love to be there.”
Last season, Halladay was inducted into the Phillies’ Wall of Fame and had his number retired by the Blue Jays prior to their home opener.
