Former Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay Posthumously Voted Into Baseball Hall Of Fame In First Year Of Eligibility
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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (CBS) -- Legendary Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay was posthumously voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday. It was Halladay's first year of eligibility.
Halladay received 85.4 percent of the vote.
During his 16-year career, Halladay established himself as arguably the league's most dominant pitcher.
The eight-time All-Star won two Cy Young awards -- one with the Blue Jays in 2003 and one with the Phillies in 2010.
After asserting himself as baseball's best pitcher in Toronto, Halladay came to the Phillies in a trade before the 2010 season and immediately endeared himself to fans.
He pitched a perfect game vs. the Marlins on May 29 of that season. And later in the year, in his first ever postseason start, he tossed a no-hitter against the Reds -- just the second playoff no-hitter in baseball history.
During his four years in pinstripes, Halladay posted a 3.25 ERA before injuries derailed his career and forced his retirement in 2013. But at the peak of his Phillies' tenure, there was nobody better.
In 2010 and 2011, Halladay was 40-16 with a 2.40 ERA and an astonishing 17 complete games with 6.75 strikeouts per game to just one walk per game.
During his career, he led the league in complete games seven different times, four seasons with the most innings pitched and twice had the most wins.
The list goes on and on.
"Being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is every boy's dream. To stand on that stage in Cooperstown and deliver your acceptance speech in front of baseball's most enthusiastic fans is something that every baseball player aspires to achieve, and Roy was no exception. But that was not Roy's goal. It was not his goal to have those three letters after his signature. His goal was to be successful every single day of his 16-year career. Tonight's announcement is the end result of that effort. If only Roy were here to personally express his gratitude for this honor, what an even more amazing day this would be. I would like to extend special thanks to the baseball writers for the overwhelming percentage of votes that Roy received in his first year on the ballot. It means so much to me, Braden and Ryan," said Halladay's wife, Brandy Halladay.
Roy Halladay's former Phillies teammates talked about what he meant to them.
"One of the great pleasures of my career was being able to play behind a man like Roy Halladay. He was fierce. He was competitive. He was focused. But, most of all, he was great. Not just a great player but also a great teammate and a great friend. On the field, Roy wanted nothing more than to bring another championship to Philadelphia. Off the field, he wanted nothing more than to be the best husband and father he could be. He was someone I admired then and still do today. Jen and I send not just our congratulations to Brandy, Braden and Ryan, but also our thanks for sharing Roy with us and the city of Philadelphia," said Chase Utley.
"Congratulations to Roy and the Halladay family on Roy's induction into baseball's Hall of Fame, a place you knew he was destined for if you ever had the opportunity to witness his dominance! The days Doc would take the ball you knew you had to be your very best because there was zero doubt in anyone's mind that you would receive anything less from him! When Roy decided to come to Philadelphia, it was for one reason, to win a championship, and we wanted nothing more than to share in that moment of glory with him. Although we never accomplished that with him, it doesn't take away from all that he was able to accomplish during his career. Anyone that has ever heard the name Roy Halladay wishes he were here for us all to celebrate this moment of greatness and give thanks for the many memories he gave us on the playing field but even more importantly the ones we all got to create when he took off his Superman cape, gave that big ol' cheesy smile and made you feel like you had known him all your life! Congrats Doc, you are forever enshrined in baseball greatness!" said Jimmy Rollins.
Halladay was killed on Nov. 7, 2017 when the small plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. He was 40 years old.
Mariano River, Mike Mussina and Edgar Martinez were also elected.
