Rest in Peace Roy Halladay
4-7, 10.64 ERA
That as much as anything defined Roy Halladay to me. The worst ERA by a 10-start pitcher in 105 years. Should have ended his career. Instead, he didn't take his talent for granted and worked his way to a Cy Young Award a couple of years later.
I remember seeing highlights of his second major league start on YouTube recently: 9 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 8 Stirkeoutss against the Detroit Tigers. He looked like a Hall of Famer then. Pure talent. Untouchable. Who knew it would be the same pitcher who was getting slaughtered two years later?
As I said, he could have disappeared, another bust, another could-have-been. Instead he stopped throwing and learned how to pitch. Back in the Majors the next year, all-star the following, and then his first Cy Young after that.
It's hard to accept that he won't work his way back from the plane crash with the same vengeance.
It's hard to accept that he won't work his way back from the plane crash with the same vengeance.
The thing that stuck with me the most about Roy Halladay was his incredible work ethic: In 2011, an earthquake struck the city of Philadelphia. But this didn't stop him from doing his morning exercise routine around the ballpark, where he was scheduled to pitch that night.
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