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As far as pitchers go in Major League Baseball, Roy "Doc" Halladay was in a class of his own. He's regarded to be one of his generation's very best pitchers, having compiled a 203-105 record in 16 big-league seasons between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies.
His integrity, the will to succeed, and to be his very best every time he came out to the mound makes him stand out among so many other players in MLB history.
Roy was always considered to be a heroic figure in the City of Toronto, in which he played with the Jays for 12 seasons. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2003 after leading the league in wins with 22.
Halladay was always known for working at an efficient pace and for his variety of pitches. He was best characterized for throwing a two-seam sinking fastball in the low 90s with the utmost of control. He often mixed in a low 90s four-seam fastball, a curveball in the high 70s, and a cutter that ranged between 90 and 92 mph.
At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Halladay had finished with a 17-10 record with Toronto, boosting his career win percentage to .660, putting him at 18th all-time. Little did he know, this would be the last time he would pitch for the team that had raised him into one of the best pitchers this generation had ever seen.
December 15, 2009 rolled around when the Blue Jays traded Halladay to the Phillies for three minor league prospects. Promptly after being traded to Philadelphia, Halladay signed a three-year/$60 million contract extension, with a $20 million vesting option for a fourth season.
The goal for Halladay on the Phillies was simple: bring another World Series title to Philadelphia.
Though he only pitched for the Phillies for four seasons, his impact on the organization while he was on the team made it feel so much longer. As a Phillie, Halladay compiled a record of 55-29, a 3.25 ERA, and struck out 622 batters. Halladay's first two seasons with the Phillies – where he won a total of 40 games – were among the very best in his decorated career.
On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in major league history. He struck out 11 Florida Marlins batters, en route to a 1-0 Phillies victory. Not only did Halladay pitch a perfect game in 2010, but he also worked an incredible postseason no-hitter in Game 1 of the National League Division series, topping the Cincinnati Reds 4-0. At the conclusion of the incredibly successful campaign, Halladay claimed his second Cy Young Award of his career, finishing with a 21-10 record and a 2.44 ERA, with a career high 219 strikeouts with only 30 walks.
In 2011, Halladay followed up a dream season with a desire for the Phillies to try to get back to the playoffs and make a run after falling in the National League Championship Series just a year removed. Though he didn’t have a perfect game or no-hitter, Halladay put together yet another All-Star season, the final one of his career, with a stellar 19-6 record, a 2.35 ERA, and 220 strikeouts. He finished the runner-up for the Cy Young that season.
Halladay never was able to win a World Series with Toronto or Philadelphia, but he established himself as one of the best pitchers the game had ever seen.
This past November, the world tragically lost Halladay to a fatal plane crash just off the Gulf Coast. He will always be remembered for how kind, loyal, and his stoic demeanor when out playing the game he loved and the game that he had mastered so gracefully.
There is no doubt that Halladay’s plaque will be hanging in Cooperstown in the near future, noting his several baseball accomplishments, with highlights referring back to some of his greatest and most treasured days as a Philadelphia Phillie.
There are two moments in Halladay's career that stick out to be the most "career defining." Both of them occurred in the same season. One in the regular season, one in the postseason.
Both are special, but one is just so much sweeter, especially because of how rare it is to obtain.
Roy Halladay's perfect game for the Phillies against the Florida (now Miami) Marlins on May 29, 2010 will go down as one of the most memorable moments in Phillies, Philadelphia sports, and baseball history.
For one day of the very long baseball season, Halladay reigned as literally the greatest athlete in the world, because of his poise, masterful pitchingand longevity. Pitching a perfect game is unlike so many other feats because of the rarity in it all.
The difficulty of retiring 27 batters in a row, not allowing a single hit or walk, is something that doesn't occur every day. In fact, to this date, there have only been 23 official perfect games in the over 140 years of baseball history.
Halladay had 203 wins over his big-league career. There will be a lot of moments that will define the career of the right-handed hurler, but the perfect game on that near-summer day in sunny Miami, Florida will stick out as the greatest moment of his career.
Reasoning for ranking
Halladay had 12 seasons where he posted a bWAR of two or higher, netting him 12 points. He had eight seasons of a bWAR of five or higher, considered to be All-Star level, netting him an additional 24 points. Lastly, he collected 15 points for his three seasons where he posted a bWAR of eight or higher, considered to be at the MVP level.
Like the Curt Schilling, who was slated at No. 9 of these rankings, Halladay's career win total of 203 is low for the success he had during his career. Halladay is currently 108th all-time in MLB wins. That gave him an additional one point for being in the top 200. His career WHIP of 1.178 is good for 102nd all-time in MLB history, gaining him an additional one point for being in the top 200 of that category.
Halladay earned two points for being in the top 100 for BB/9 with a 1.94, putting him at 79th all-time. Finally, his K/9 is 155th all-time, with a career 6.93, gaining him an extra one point for being in the top 200 all-time.
Halladay's final total was 56 points, putting him seven below the man who beat him out at No. 7 on the list.
The player rankings formula combines both traditional and advanced statistics/metrics and assigns a point total to each category.
First, single-season WAR is a primary factor in our rankings. According to Baseball Reference's WAR calculations, 2+ WAR is considered a starter, 5+ WAR is All-Star caliber, and 8+ WAR is MVP level. We totaled the number of seasons that a player performed at a 2+ WAR, 5+ WAR, and 8+ WAR level and assigned a set point value for each category, (+1), (+3), and (+5) respectively. For example, in 1980, Mike Schmidt complied an 8.8 WAR. This was counted as a 2+ WAR season, a 5+ WAR season, and an 8+ WAR season. So, for 1980 alone, Mike Schmidt earned nine points for WAR.
Next, we assigned point values for being among the top 25, top 50, top 100, and top 200 all-time in particular statistical categories, such as batting average, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, home runs, and OPS for hitters; and ERA, wins, and WHIP, FIP, BB/9, H/9, and K/9 for pitchers.
Finally, all statistical categories were totaled up using our point based system and ranked accordingly, with historical columnist Matt Albertson and managing editor Tim Kelly reserving the right to move players up the list, within reason, based on an "importance" factor. A player will score higher in this subjective category if his acquisition corresponded with a great team career or if they contributed to the club's rebuild or playoff run. A player will score lower if their career didn't correspond with a particularly good season(s) or with a playoff run. It will also be low if this player was traded by the club and became one of the best players in the game after the trade, thus negatively effecting the club's performance or extending a rebuild. An explanation of why a player is ranked in a certain spot will be provided, as will an overall score breakdown.
