Roy Halladay, R.I.P.

Moments ago, the MLB Network announced the death of former MLB pitcher Roy Halladay. His plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon. Halladay was 40. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

Halladay pitched in bigs from 1998 through 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Nicknamed "Doc", he was a first round draft pick with the Jays in 1995 and arrived in the bigs in 1998 and in his second big league start came within an out of throwing a no-hitter. Halladay would soon struggle and after posting an ERA of 10.64 in 2000 was sent down all the way to single-A to relearn how to pitch. With the help of Mel Queen (along with Yankees legend Mariano Rivera teaching him the cutter), Halladay returned and was arguably the best pitcher in MLB during the 2000's.

Between 2002 and 2011, Halladay won two Cy Young Awards (one with the AL in 2003 and one in the NL in 2010), was in the top five in Cy Young balloting six times, was named to eight All-Star Teams (six in the AL and two in the NL), led the league in complete games six times (4 in the AL, twice in the NL) and led the league in innings pitched four times (twice each in the AL and NL).

During his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 he threw a perfect game and threw a no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds. When he threw that no-hitter in the NLDS he became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the post-season since Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series and the first pitcher to throw two no-hitters in the same season since Nolan Ryan in 1973.

Halladay sustained a shoulder injury in 2012 diminishing his effectiveness and retired following the 2013 season. He finished his career with a record of 203-105 with an ERA of 3.38 and struck out 2,117 batters.

On a personal note, I got to see him pitch at Fenway Park. I also remember announcing his no-hitter at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Even non-baseball fans understood the magnitude of what Halladay had done. I can't think of an opposing pitcher Red Sox fans feared and respected more than Halladay. The same is true of his teammates and his opponents.

Halladay will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. In light of today's events, I believe he will be elected on the first ballot. Whenever Halladay is inducted, it will be a shame that he won't be there to enjoy it.

But we can always enjoy that final out of that no-hitter. R.I.P.