HALLADAY DIES IN CRASH
FORMER BLUE JAYS PITCHER KILLED IN PLANE CRASH
Halladay’s plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near Holiday, Florida —
Former star pitcher Roy Halladay, a Cy Young Award winner and face of the Blue Jays franchise for most of the 2000s, died Tuesday when his private plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. He was 40.
“He was the bright light,” said former Blue Jays general manager Gord Ash. “He was the guy that everybody pointed to as being the star of the Blue Jays and rightly so.”
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said during a news conference that Halladay’s Icon A5 went down around noon off the coast of Florida. The sheriff’s office marine unit responded and found Halladay’s body in shallow water near some mangroves. No survivors were found.
Police said they couldn’t confirm if there were additional passengers on the plane or say where it was headed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
“Many of you know Roy as a Cy Young winner, future Hall of Famer, one of the best pitchers ever to pitch the game of baseball,” said Nocco, who personally knew Halladay. “We know Roy as a person, as a caring husband who loved his wife, Brandy. He loved his two boys tremendously ... and we are so sad for your loss.”
Halladay, who retired after the 2013 season, was an amateur pilot who often posted on social media about small planes.
“I have dreamed about owning a A5 since I retired! Real life is better then my dreams!!” Halladay tweeted on Oct. 13.
Halladay won his first Cy Young Award with the Blue Jays in 2003 and took the National League honour in 2010 with the Philadelphia Phillies, the season he threw the 20th perfect game in MLB history.
“The Toronto Blue Jays organization is overcome by grief with the tragic loss of one
of the franchise’s greatest and most respected players, but even better human being,” the Blue Jays said in a statement. “It is impossible to express what he has meant to this franchise, the city and its fans.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Nocco said Halladay knew many members in the sheriff’s office, and that Halladay was even a part of a charity fishing tournament last Friday.
“He was probably one of the most humble human beings you’ll ever meet,” Nocco said. “For somebody who won two Cy Youngs, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, he would walk in the room as if he was anybody. Didn’t matter who he met, he was kind, generous. His family purchased a dog for us — K-9 Doc. K-9 Doc is out there working, saving lives, making our community safer.” The dog was named as a nod to Halladay’s nickname — Doc. “He was one in a million,” Nocco said. “It is a true loss for us.” Halladay was an old-style workhorse who pitched 67 complete games and 20 shutouts. He was a three-time 20game winner. “All of us at Baseball are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic passing of former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay,” said commissioner Rob Manfred. “A wellrespected figure throughout the game, Roy was a fierce competitor during his 16-year career, which included eight all-star selections, two Cy Young Awards, a perfect game and a post-season nohitter. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, including his wife, Brandy, and two sons, Ryan and Braden, his friends and countless fans, as well as the Blue Jays and Phillies organizations.” Halladay, a native of Denver, Colo., was selected by the Blue Jays in the first round (No. 17 overall) of the 1995 MLB Amateur Draft.