A Heartbreaking Loss

“Roy Halladay was your favorite player’s favorite player. A true ace and a wonderful person. Heartbroken for those who knew him best.” – Los Angeles Dodgers Brandon McCarthy, via Twitter on Tuesday

That was the sentiment throughout Major League Baseball as the news spread of Halladay’s death. An outstanding pitcher throughout a 16-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, Halladay, 40, perished in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. Halladay, an avid pilot, was flying an ICON A5 single-engine aircraft.

Eight times an All-Star, Halladay won the Cy Young Award in both leagues and pitched a perfect game and a no-hitter in the same season for the Phillies. He won 20 games in a season three times and 19 twice in compiling a 203-105 record with a 3.38 ERA.

He was at least as well-known for his humanity, for the way he thought of teammates and the community.

He was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, which annually honors a player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

When he pitched that no-hitter in the 2010 National League Division Series, he bought 60 Baume and Mercier watches for teammates and members of the Phillies’ front office, each engraved.

He always had time to help teammates, always had time for the people of the cities in which he played.

“We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay’s untimely death,” the Phillies said in a statement. “There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game.”

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman