Plane crash kills baseball great
PITCHER ROY HALLADAY, 40
Two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, who pitched a perfect game and a playoff no-hitter with the Phillies, was killed when his private plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. The plane — described by the Pasco County sheriff’s office as an ICON A5 light sport aircraft (a two-seat “light-sport aircraft” that can land on water) — went down 10 miles west of St. Petersburg around noon. The sheriff’s office marine unit responded to the downed plane and found Halladay’s body. “The worst case scenario happened and it breaks our heart,” Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said Tuesday. Nocco said that Halladay had just attended the sheriff’s office’s Fishing for Families tournament on Friday. The retired big-league star had also donated funds to purchase a K9 for the sheriff’s office. “Roy was the most down to earth person,” Nocco said. The specifics of the crash are still under investigation and the sheriff said work to recover debris from the plane would continue Tuesday. The NTSB will take over the investigation, according to Nocco. Halladay, 40, a first-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in the 1995 amateur draft spent 12 seasons in Toronto before capping his career with four seasons with the Phillies. Halladay had a life-time love of flying; his dad was a commerical pilot and Halladay became a pilot after he retired after the 2013 season. He frequently posted videos on social media about his love of flying. “I keep telling my dad flying the Icon A5 low over the water is like flying a fighter jet!” Halladay tweeted on Oct. 31. “His response .... I am flying a fighter jet!!” “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,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. Both teams also issued statements following the announcement of Halladay’s death. “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. “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.”
“We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay’s untimely death,” the Phillies said. “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. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden.”
ICON aircraft had posted a video that showed Halladay taking delivery of the new aircraft last month. Halladay’s wife was originally against the idea of him getting the aircraft. “She’s fought me the whole way,” Halladay said. “Hard. I fought hard. I was very against it,” Brandy Halladay said in the same video, before explaining why she eventually understood and approved of her husband’s desire to have the plane.
The plane Halladay was piloting comes with a controversial past as a leaked purchaser’s agreement made public in 2016 detailed contractually required pilot training plus an agreement not to sue the company.
The company said it was “devastated” to learn of Halladay’s death in one of its airplanes.
“ICON will do everything it can to support the accident investigation going forward and we will comment further when more information is available,” the company said in a statement, via ESPN.
Halladay, an eight-time All-Star, spent 16 years in the major leagues. He was a two-time Cy Young award winner (2003 and 2010), amassing a 203-105 record with a career 3.38 ERA. Halladay was known for being a workhorse, leading the league in innings four times, complete games seven times and shutouts four times during his career.
He threw a perfect game with the Phillies on May 29, 2010 against the Marlins. In his first playoff appearance, Halladay threw a no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Reds on Oct. 6, 2010. His lone mistake was a walk in the fifth inning to Jay Bruce.
“Gone too soon my friend!!!” Phillies teammate Shane Victorino tweeted shortly after Halladay’s death was confirmed. “Blessed to have shared the field with you as a teammate, competitor, friend and more importantly a brother.”
“Heart is broken to hear about Roy Halladay,” Roy Oswalt, another former teammate tweeted, “great friend, teammate, father and husband. One of the best teammates ever! You will be missed!”
Halladay leaves behind his wife Brandy and two kids, Braden and Ryan. — with the Associated Press