The untimely death of one of the greatest pitching minds in baseball history occurred in November 2017, just outside of Tampa Bay, Florida, due to an airplane crash. The Perfect Game pitching legend, Roy Halladay, had only retired from the game in 2013.
Four years later, fans were left in shock and mourning the untimely aircraft accident that caused the death of the Hall-of-Fame pitcher on November 7th, 2017.
In such a short amount of time, how did we go from a man with an electric pitching arm to wondering what could have been if life had turned out slightly differently? All these years later, all fans are left to do is reminisce about the great times the man gave us and what an honor it was to watch him play the game of baseball.
I owe him thanks for one of the most incredible sporting accomplishments I have ever been in attendance for. But more on that in a moment. First, we need to chat about Mr. Perfect earlier in the season.
Roy Halladay: Perfect Game in Miami in May 2010
The 2010 season was a magical one for Roy “Doc” Halladay. Most MLB pitchers dream of throwing a perfect game or settling for a no-hitter at any point in their careers. How about one of each in the same baseball season? No problem when the Doc was in.
In front of a sparse 25,000-person crowd at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. Halladay strolled to the mound and systematically broke down the Florida Marlins as if Doc had just pulled the franchise out of the nearby ocean on a fishing trip.
Roy Halladay threw 115 pitches on 05/29/2010 to secure the 10th Philadelphia Phillies no-hitter in history, even though officially, it was a perfect game unblemished by walks or errors.
Many Philadelphia fans missed Halladay’s Perfect Game, at least initially. That evening, the Philadelphia Flyers were on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game One of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. The hockey game started about an hour after the Phillies-Marlins tilt got underway in South Florida.
Paging Doc-tober, Doc-tober to the Playoffs, Please
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October 6, 2010.
It was supposed to be a normal NLDS opener between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds. With standing-room-only tickets, my cousin and I sat at the stadium bar, anticipating the moment the gates opened to dash in and find a place to set up. The S-R-O tickets allowed us access to anywhere we wanted to be in the ballpark that we couldn’t place our butts.
Centerfield has a great view of all the action, or perhaps the main concourse on the 1st base side isn’t bad. Good view of the scoreboard, I thought. Those spots were not anywhere good enough for THIS game. I had to see EVERYTHING.
We chose a spot above the “Diamond Level,” the most expensive corporate seats you see on TV nightly. An unobstructed view from the 300s level looking directly behind home plate. It was THE perfect spot to watch a future Hall-of-Fame pitcher take the field in his first post-season game. Could life get any better?
What proceeded to unfold over the next three hours, I wish I could relive 10,000 times.
In front of 46,000+ just-barely breathing Philadelphians, Roy Halladay completed only the second post-season no-hitter in MLB’s history and the first since 1956. Doc would have matched Don Larson’s Perfect Game in the 1956 World Series if not for a questionable fifth-inning walk to Jay Bruce.
Roy Halladay was so dialed in that he only took ten pitches to finish the ninth inning before a tidal wave of euphoria ripped through Citizens Bank Park on that crisp Fall night. Goosebumps galore even thinking about it now.
Tragic Accident Causes Halladay’s Death
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Roy Halladay was a thriller-seeker in life. That led him to a life-long fascination with aircrafts and the adrenaline rush that came along with flying them. Halladay had a custom aircraft designed, the Icon A5, that would play a pivotal role in the 40-year-old’s death.
On November 7, 2017, Roy Halladay’s plane crashed off the coast of Florida. The designer of the aircraft, John Murray Krakow, crashed a few months earlier, flying the same aircraft, also causing his death.
Halladay’s number was retired following his death by the two franchises he played for, the Toronto Blue Jays (#32) and the Philadelphia Phillies (#34).
About the Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. With a varied professional background that includes an M.B.A. in Sports Management from Tiffin University, Chris can speak with authority on the subject matters that he covers. Additional insightful sports articles can be located here.
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