Happy Ho Ho, Bauxite Nation!! Today, it's a look back at arguably the greatest pitcher in Jays history and a few tales in this picture purrfect episode of the POTD!
Roy Halladay pitches August 9th against the Orioles at Rogers Centre. He went eight strong innings to pick up his 12th victory of the season.
Halladay finishes off a pitch against the Rays in an August 24th game.
Halladay is enroute to a complete game 5-0 shutout victory against the Mariners in his final home start as a Jay September 25th.
The linescore of Halladay's masterpiece against the M's in which he collected his 16th win of the year.
Halladay waves to the fans before he heads to the dugout. He finished the season 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA and a league leading nine complete games. His career totals were 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA.
Beyond the numbers, Halladay is connected to a series of personal memories for me. After we watched Halladay's brilliance for the final time in a Jays uniform, the missus pointed out to me that "Doc" was a Jay from the beginning of our relationship in 2002 and that she was sad he was leaving. She was getting a little misty-eyed and I'm surprised I didn't have the waterworks going after she said that.
I thank my lucky stars every day that the missus actually enjoys going to ball games with me. Our first official date was a Jays game in '02, a win over the O's! For the first year or so, I thought she went to Jays games with me just to humour me. Her coming of age moment as a ball fan came after Doc and the Jays destroyed Boomer Wells and the Yankees 8-1 on a Labour Day Monday in September of '03. A number of Yankee fans in our section were getting on her nerves throughout the game. After the final out, she started trash-talking these fans about how the Jays kicked their team's sorry behinds. I was stunned, shocked, surprised, elated and at the same time very thankful she decided not to do this in the Bronx Zoo. That's when I knew she was a true blue Blue Jays fan!
Our favourite pitcher also had a lot to do with us picking up a feline friend off the waiver wire this summer. After claiming our first cat Elmo on waivers after he was abandonned in our apartment building in Edmonton, the missus thought we should get another cat to keep our white persian furball company. We visited the SPCA in Barrie this summer and wouldn't you know it, a little tabby named Doc started meowing at us. Clearly, his name was a sign we had to take him home and so we did.
Doc sleeps off a hangover after going on a bender the night before the Halladay deal was finalized.
We're happy to say this Doc is not going anywhere - unless Ruben Amaro comes along and offers us $6-million dollars, he'll be gone faster than you can say Meow Mix! Kidding!
