Roy Halladay suffered a tragic death far too soon. Halladay died on November 7th, 2017 because of a plane crash. Halladay had always wanted to be a pilot after his baseball playing career but unfortunately, his dream became his downfall. The Blue Jays plan to honor their former franchise pitcher on opening day in Toronto. Halladay died at just 40-years of age in the Gulf of Mexico.
Join us Opening Day, as we pay tribute to the late Roy Halladay and retire his uniform number.
In Doc's honour, we will wear a commemorative No. 32 patch on our jerseys for the 2018 season. #DocForever https://t.co/yHD3HpY3dB
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 12, 2018
The Jays will rep the 32 patch on their jerseys for the entire season. No Blue Jay will ever rock the number 32 again as Halladay will be retired into the rafters. Toronto will host the New York Yankees on Opening Day, March 29th. Halladay pitched for the Blue Jays for twelve seasons before spending his final four years with Philadelphia.
President of Baseball Operations, Mark Shapiro, had the following to say:
“Through Roy’s values, pride, work ethic, and perseverance, he epitomized what it means to be a Blue Jay,” team president Mark Shapiro said in a statement. “And while his legacy is clear, it goes far beyond the number on his back or his on-field accomplishments, serving as a shining example of how to live a meaningful life and positively impact others.”
Halladay won the Cy Young in 2003 for Toronto. He went 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA that year and ranks second All-Time in wins for the Toronto franchise. His 148 wins meant a lot to the franchise and will now be the second player ever to get his number retired. Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar is the only other player with his number retired by the team.
The 10-time All-Star also won a Cy Young in 2010 with the Phillies. Philadelphia won the World Series just two years before Halladay arrived to join the Phillies and really, the franchise hasn’t been relevant since the Doc retired.
