Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in the game. This is a fact. Try to dispute it; you are automatically wrong. You may not have known this before this year; don't worry, most baseball fans didn't. Because he played for the Toronto Blue Jays. The TORONTO Blue Jays. As in Canada. Somewhere American baseball fans don't often pay attention to. But since being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason, already a powerhouse, he's been very difficult to ignore. Let's check his stats:
According to ESPN, in the 2010 regular season, he was 21-10 with an ERA of 2.44, a WHIP of 1.04, and 219 strikeouts. That's Cy Young-worthy on its own. Did I mention that one of the wins was the 20th perfect game in history? This wasn't a fluke, like Dallas Braden's perfect game and Armando Galarraga's almost-perfect game. Those two pitchers are average, at best. Halladay is a true dominator. If that wasn't enough proof, please reference Game 1 of the NLDS against the Reds tonight. In his first postseason game ever, he threw a complete game. If it weren't for one pesky walk, it would have been his second perfect game this season. Alas, it was only a no-hitter. It was ONLY the second no-hitter in postseason history. It was ONLY the sixth time one pitcher has thrown a perfect game and a no-hitter in their career in baseball history. It was ONLY the first time a pitcher has thrown 2 no-hitters, with 1 being a perfect game, in the same season.
So, the simple question is this: what the hell makes Roy Halladay so incredibly good?! Steroid allegations are out of the question, we would have heard something about it by now if there were a drop of legitimacy to it. Obviously, as with any pitcher, the man throwing the ball is only as good as the team behind him, so the switch from Canada to the good old US of A might have something to do with it. I'm sure that going from the batter-friendly American League to the pitcher-friendly National League might also play a part. However, all these things still don't answer the question. And the truth is, there may not be an answer. Roy Halladay may just be the best pitcher around, and we just have to accept that. He works out hard, he's always improving himself, he looks for new ways to make his pitches faster and harder to hit. Maybe we're no longer used to seeing a pitcher with such raw talent actually use it to his full ability. We fawn over young upstarts like Stephen Strasburg, surprisingly good players like Ubaldo Jimenez, or reliable veterans like CC Sabathia, and yet we've let this guy fly mostly under the radar for the majority of his career. Even though reports paint a picture that Halladay keeps to himself off the field, he refuses to be ignored anymore on the mound. So, with a Cy Young already and one almost guaranteed on the way, a postseason no-hitter, and a perfect game to his credit, all Roy Halladay's legacy, and his insurance into being a first-balloter into the Hall of Fame, is a World Series ring. And this season, it may be Doc's time to give everyone a dose of his medicine.
Jeez, in all this excitement over Halladay's no-no, I almost forgot that today was the first day of the playoffs. Here are the scores:
Reds 0, Phillies 4. Phillies lead series 1-0.
Rangers 5, Rays 1. Rangers lead series 1-0.
Yankees 6, Twins 4. Yankees lead series 1-0.
Braves at Giants, Game 1 tomorrow.
It's too early to tell in any of these matchups, but the Rangers/Rays was already one of those series that could go either way, so we'll see. It's clear that the Phillies will advance, and we know the Yanks will too, but the Twins sure aren't going to let them go without a fight. As far as Braves/Giants, there's no way to tell until at least game 1 has played. More to come tomorrow.
Doc was absolutely masterful last night. The low pitch counts are one of my favorite things about him. It's Maddux-like. I think one of the things that makes him so special is that he can throw 5+ pitches for strikes. You never know what's coming on any count. Even most stellar pitchers usually have a go-to pitch that they throw when they're behind a hitter and can't afford a walk. They also usually have a predictable waste pitch coming on 0-2 and often a put away pitch on 1-2. Halladay, on the other hand, can throw it in the zone while having it move in whatever direction he wants. Cal Ripken made a good point last night--Scott Rolen is as solid a veteran as they come. He struck out three times last night and looked bad doing it. I guess that's a testament to the unpredictability.
ReplyDeleteAnother impressive thing about this gem: the Reds are a fantastic offensive team. They lead the NL in batting average, hits, homeruns, total bases, RBIs and runs scored this year.
Exactly. Even though his perfect game was impressive, it came against the Florida Marlins, the Kansas City Royals of the National League. This actually came against people who can swing the bat and connect every once in a while(not to detract from Marlins like Dan Uggla or Hanley Ramirez, but you know what I mean). If he doesn't go down as one of the best in history, I don't know what it takes.
ReplyDeleteNow all we've got to see is an indication of how Braves/Giants will go. Lowe and Lincecum have both been on a tear this last month, so the bats have to light it up. Bad news for the Braves: Aubrey Huff has been quietly having one of his best seasons (leading the team in every category), Juan Uribe comes alive every once in a while, and Buster Posey is the reason why Jason Heyward may not win Rookie of the Year (he's already being compared to Joe Mauer; both may be a little premature, but it speaks volumes about their abilities).