Like many Boston Red Sox fans, my love for baseball began in 2004. The Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino just weeks before my seventh birthday. That season, Boston captured a championship, and this fan’s heart.
As I grew up with Sox teams of the mid 2000s, my baseball knowledge began to grow, aided by my favorite video game, MVP Baseball 2005, which I played on my GameCube (feel old yet?). In those years, I came to know and love baseball’s stars: Albert Pujols, Johan Santana, David Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero, Roy Halladay and the list goes on.
Watching these legends, and playing as them in my baseball fantasy world, helped shape and define my childhood, and my love for the game of baseball. If I ever got the opportunity to see them play in person, it was a spectacle.
Of course, when any person passes away, it is tragic. When that person is famous, millions feel as though they lost a loved one of their own. When that person is famous and young, it is even more heartbreaking.
This week, the baseball world is heartbroken, as we mourn the loss of Roy Halladay, who passed away in a plane accident Tuesday evening. He was 40 years old.
“Doc,” as he came to be known, was a legendary pitcher, an incredible teammate, and a fantastic person. He was one of my favorites, and he undoubtedly contributed to my ever-growing passion for baseball.
As the news broke of Halladay’s tragic death, messages of love and mourning consumed social media, as former teammates, coaches, and opponents shared memories of a baseball icon.
“My heart hurts writing this,” Halladay’s Philadelphia Phillies teammate Chase Utley wrote in an Instagram post. “I can still remember the first day we met. It was 5:45am on the first day of spring training when I arrived. He was finishing his breakfast but his clothes were soaking wet. I asked if it was raining when he got in. He laughed and said ‘No I just finished my workout.’ I knew right then — he was the real deal. Thank you Roy for allowing us to witness what it takes to be the best. We will all miss you.”
Utley summed it up perfectly. Halladay was a workhorse. He ascended to baseball greatness through hard work and endless training. He was known for being in the clubhouse several hours before a game, and he never took his talent for granted. He knew what it took to be the best, and he served as an example for young players and fans throughout his career.
Halladay’s two Cy Young Awards, in 2003 and 2010, demonstrate the breadth of his dominance; he was truly at the top of his sport for an entire decade. He was the best pitcher in baseball. He was Clayton Kershaw before Clayton Kershaw. He was my favorite pitcher to watch, even as he terrorized Red Sox lineups.
Doc’s legacy remains incomplete. He retired in 2013, which means he will become eligible for Hall of Fame voting in 2019. In 16 seasons, Halladay eclipsed 2,000 strikeouts, won over 200 games, and was an All Star eight times. In 390 career starts, he hurled 67 complete games, 20 of which were shutouts. He finished in the top five in Cy Young voting seven times.
When tragedy strikes, there is little to do but remember. Over the past couple days, stories have poured out of the baseball world, as all take their part in honoring the life and career of a legend.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy put it best when he tweeted on Tuesday night, “Roy Halladay was your favorite player’s favorite player. A true ace and a wonderful person. Heartbroken for those who knew him best.”
Halladay was a one-of-a-kind ballplayer. He will be remembered as the ultimate competitor, and an exemplary teammate and person. His tragic death will not diminish the impact he made on his beloved game of baseball.
Baseball was my first love in life. As I look back on the players and teams that cultivated my passion for America’s Pastime, few inspired and captivated like Roy Halladay.
Rest easy, Doc. You’ll be missed.
