Roy Halladay will be inducted into Phillies Wall of Fame
Roy Halladay won the heart of Philadelphia during a four-year stint to close out what many believe was a Hall of Fame worthy career. Now Philadelphia and the Phillies organization will show its collective appreciation to Halladay’s family by posthumously inducting the former ace into the team’s Wall of Fame on Aug. 4.
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Halladay died at the age of 40 when his single-passenger plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 7. A public service was held at Spectrum Field, the Phillies’ spring home in Clearwater, Fla., one week later.
Halladay will be joined in this year’s class by former general manager Pat Gillick, who oversaw the construction of the Phillies 2008 World Series championship roster. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki adds that Halladay is now one of only four Phillies to be inducted into the Wall of Fame without a fan vote, joining Charlie Manuel, Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton.
Halladay joined the Phillies in 2010 and immediately made a huge impact, winning the National League Cy Young Award after posting 21 wins and a 2.44 ERA. In doing so, he became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to win a Cy Young Award in each league after earning one with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003. Max Scherzer became the sixth in 2016, joining Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.
Halladay then made postseason history, firing only the second no-hitter in a playoff game against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS. Halladay joined Don Larsen, who famously pitched a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
“Braden, Ryan and I are so honored to have Roy remembered in this way,” Halladay’s wife Brandy Halladay said in a statement on Tuesday. “He will be in great company with other Phillies legends who are on the Wall of Fame. The decision made by the Phillies to induct Roy without a fan vote makes it even more meaningful. I look forward to fans and the community coming out to celebrate this special occasion with us.”
The Blue Jays had previously announced plans to honor Halladay with a jersey patch during the 2018 season, and will also retire his No. 32 before their season opener. Current Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman will wear No. 34 this season to honor Halladay’s time with the Phillies.
Halladay, who notched 203 victories, 2,117 strikeouts and earned eight All-Star selections over his 16 seasons, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2019. But there’s no doubt his family will have felt the love and appreciation from the baseball community long before that vote comes in.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Yahoo Sports Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
