Arvada West High School graduate and two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay died Tuesday in a fatal plane crash, the Pasco County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office reported.
Our Swift Water Response Team and Marine Unit responding to the downed plane in the Gulf. pic.twitter.com/xwWHU5S7uf
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) November 7, 2017
The plane was a single engine plane Icon A5.
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) November 7, 2017
The deceased has been confirmed as Roy Doc Halladay.
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) November 7, 2017
Halladay was born May 14, 1977 in Denver and went on to prep stardom at Arvada West High School. The Toronto Blue Jays selected Halladay 17th overall in the 1995 MLB Amateur Draft and made his big-league debut for the Jays in 1998.
Halladay immediately saw success in the majors, when against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 27, 1998 in just his second career start Halladay threw what would have been the third no-hitter ever pitched on the final day of a regular season before it was broken up with two outs in the ninth. His no-hitters would come, though.
Halladay exploded onto the scene in 2002, finishing the season with a 19–7 record and 2.93 ERA, striking-out 168 batters in 239.1 innings. Halladay was named to the American League All-Star team for the first time in his career, the first of eight All-Star selections he would receive in his career.
He earned his first Cy Young Award in 2003, finishing 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA. Halladay pitched nine complete games that season and logged 204 strikeouts over 266 innings.
Halladay ranks second all-time in Blue Jays history with 148 wins, 15 shutouts and 1,495 strikeouts – all behind Dave Stieb.
In December 2009, Halladay was traded from the Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league prospects and took his career to another level.
On May 29, 2010, Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in MLB history, striking out 11 batters against the Florida Marlins in Miami. Halladay would finish the year with a 21-10 record, a 2.44 ERA while striking out 219 batters in 250.2 innings. He was unanimously chosen as the 2010 National League Cy Young Award winner. Halladay is one of only six pitchers in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues.
A couple months later after throwing his perfect game, in his first postseason appearance, Halladay threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of the 2010 NLDS. He became only the second player ever to pitch a no-hitter in the postseason, joining 1956 World Series MVP Don Larsen.
We're saddened by the tragic loss of Colorado native & former MLB pitcher Roy Halladay. We send our deepest condolences to Roy's loved ones. pic.twitter.com/GQg1V07ORj
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) November 7, 2017
Halladay retired in 2013 after two seasons battling shoulder injuries. He retired with 203 career wins (148 with Toronto, 55 with Philadelphia) and a career 3.38 ERA.
Halladay will become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. A three-time 20-game winner, he led league in victories twice, complete games seven times, shutouts four times and innings pitched four times.
Upon retirement, he and his wife Brandy moved to the Florida Gulf Coast after retirement where he became an avid aviator and fisherman. He posted this video from his Icon A5 aircraft less than one month before his death.
What do clouds feel like? I didn’t know either until I got my new Icon A5! I’m getting bruises on my arms from constantly pinching myself! pic.twitter.com/BaObEUj3Xo
— Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) October 13, 2017
Less than a week prior to his death, Halladay participated in the Pasco County Sheriff’s “Fishing for Families” tournament.
Roy Doc Halladay was at our Fishing for Families tournament last Friday. We are blessed to have known this incredible friend.
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) November 7, 2017