Today is the day. Thank you, Doc 💙
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 21, 2019
Your legacy lives on in Cooperstown. #DocHOF pic.twitter.com/KzEaI8A8yr
Brandy Halladay gave a lot of thank yous in her 7-minute speech inducting her late husband, longtime Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Recent Hall of Fame speeches by Tim Raines and Vladimir Guerrero include mentions of fans and the organisation in Canada. Brandy Halladay included them in her speech.
While piloting a plane, Halladay died in a plane crash into the Gulf of Mexico on November 7, 2017.
Brandy Halladay thanks the Blue Jays and Phillies in her Hall of Fame speech on Roy's behalf 👏👏
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 21, 2019
(🎥: @MLBNetwork) pic.twitter.com/a3sP7dx4up
"Both teams quickly reached out to us, telling us how proud they were of that decision, validating the choice we knew in our hearts was right, was in fact, the correct one," Brandy Halladay said. "We know without a doubt had Roy been here with us today, this is the decision he would have made, and more than anything would want both organizations to know that they hold a huge place in our hearts and always will."
Vladimir Guerrero went into the Hall of Fame without a Montréal Expos cap. Halladay's family decided on a neutral cap despite being a Blue Jay pitcher much longer than his stint in Philadelphia. The fact that neither player made the playoffs while wearing a Canadian team jersey seemed to be a heavy factor in the consideration process.
Roy Halladay makes the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first attempt
Roy Halladay made the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first attempt with 85.4% of the vote. Halladay pitched from 1998-2013, spending the first 12 years with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was one of 6 pitchers ever to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues: 2003 and 2010. Halladay was a 8-time All-Star, including appearances as a Blue Jay in 2002, 2003, 2005-2006, and 2008-2009.
He had 63 complete games from 2002-2011, at least 30 more than any other pitcher in that time. On December 15, 2009, the Blue Jays traded Halladay to Philadelphia for Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek, and Michael Taylor.
Vladimir Guerrero makes the Baseball Hall of Fame on his second attempt
Larry Walker got 54.6% of the Hall of Fame vote in 2019, up from 34.1% in 2018. Walker remains 87 votes shy of induction. Walker's lifetime .313 batting average and Gold Glove defensive prowess should be heavily considered.
Walker would be the first Canadian hitter to reach the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ferguson Jenkins is in the Hall of Fame as a pitcher.
CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage
New Hall of Fame inductees Lee Smith and Edgar Martinez don't have good memories of Canada.
Smith pitched his last season of his career for the Montréal Expos. Smith was 0-1 with 5 saves and a 5.82 ERA. His 1997 season and career lasted until July 2.
Martinez's Canada troubles were on the West Coast at BC Place in Vancouver. The stadium used to host MLB preseason games. In a 1993 exhibition game, Martínez tore his hamstring on an unzipped seam between 1st and 2nd base. Martinez missed the first 42 games. Martínez had several injuries before becoming a full-time designated hitter in 1995.
The Seattle Mariners were scheduled to play Baltimore in the regular season in 1995 at BC Place. The MLB strike put the kibosh on that plan. The 1994 weekend exhibition with Toronto, Montréal, Seattle, and Colorado were the last MLB games in Vancouver.
Twitter captures: @BlueJays; @TSN_Sports
photo credit: MLB Network/MLB
Comments