Please tell me you saw Roy Halladay's performance tonight. I am in awe. Aside from former Longhorns, Halladay is BY FAR my favorite professional athlete in any sport. It's not even close. And that's saying something considering there couldn't be a more generic, uninteresting team than the Toronto Blue Jays. But my goodness, Halladay is just a joy to watch perform.
Here's what he did tonight:
W, 9 IP (complete game), 4 ER, 7 hits, 1 BB, 14 K
But that doesn't even tell the story. The dude threw 133 pitches! Who does that in the majors anymore? Nobody - except soft tossers like Livan Hernanez. To truly appreciate this performance, you had to watch it. Basically, the Angels had no chance against Doc tonight.
He cruised through the first six innings while the Jays staked him to a 6-0 lead. Through six innings, he had given up 3 hits and struck out 8 batters. But when he came out for the 7th inning, he clearly wasn't sharp. As is typical for Halladay, he eased up a bit and let the Angels score four runs. (As an aside, he seriously always does that. It's like he conserves energy just so he can pitch the entire game. It messes with his ERA just a bit, but I guess I can't complain.)
So, after giving up 4 runs in the 7th and being past the 100 pitch mark, you figure Cito Gaston goes to the bullpen. That's just what MLB managers do these days. But not with Halladay. He came back out for the 8th inning. And he dominated. He struck out Kendrick, got Figgins to ground out, and then struck out Abreu.
Up 6-4 heading into the top of the 9th, you figure Cito Gaston would go to his closer. Halladay was over 115 pitches. That's just what MLB managers do these days. But not with Halladay. He came back out for the 9th inning. And yes, he dominated. He struck out Vlad Guerrero and then struck out Torii Hunter. After he allowed a bloop single to Kendry Morales, Halladay was at 130 pitches. No big deal. Halladay finished the game by getting a called strike three on Maicer Izturis on a nasty breaking ball.
Game over. Complete game. 14 strikeouts. 133 pitches. Hell, the dude threw 88 strikes! There are so many pitchers these days who can't even throw 88 pitches in an entire game.
Roy, I love you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Although commenting to your own blog posting is frowned upon at SLAE, we must make exceptions for extraordinary circumstances.
ReplyDeleteMr. Halladay followed up his 133-pitch masterpiece with a paltry 97-pitch outing on Sunday afternoon vs. Kansas City. Of course, he rode those 97 pitches to a COMPLETE GAME, 7-HIT SHUTOUT. 9 IP, 7 H, 0 BB, 6 K, and the W.
Of his 97 pitches, 73 were for strikes. All seven of the hits given up were singles. He really only got into trouble in the 7th inning. The Royals loaded the bases with 1 out. But then Halladay struck out Miguel Olivo on 3 pitches and got some scrub named Maier to ground out on the first pitch. Seriously, he's just toying with the league right now.
Everyone, take your Zack Greinke love and shove it. Halladay is your 2009 AL Cy Young winner.
I agree that SLAE has to make an exception in this instance. A comment was both necessary and appropriate.
ReplyDeleteHowever, at this point I am absolutely speechless. Honestly, what else is there to say about Halladay? The guy is the equivalent of Maddux with better stuff, at this point.
So I am left with the following two questions: 1) is he getting better even now, after being in the league for 10 years, and at age 32? (32?!?! He is younger than me?!? Excuse me, I think I just vomited in my mouth.); and
2) Do the Jays trade him if/when they fall completely out of it? I am totally torn on this one. Presumably they cannot trade the league's best pitcher and the face of their franchise. On the other hand, think of what the Rangers, Phillies, or (gulp) Dodgers would give up for him.
Thoughts?
And BTW, I won't tell Mrs. Stockel about the man-love for Mr. Halladay. Your secret's safe with me.
1. I think Halladay has gotten better over the last couple of years. He was great in 2002 and 2003 (winning the Cy Young in 2003). He had injuries in 2004 and 2005, but then had a great year again in 2006 (16-5, 220 IP, 3.19 ERA). He slumped a little bit in 2007 with a 3.71 ERA, but he was still 16-7 on the year.
ReplyDeleteBut then in 2008, he returned to the 2002/2003 Halladay. 20 wins, 2.78 ERA, 246 IP. And 2009 looks to be even better than that. It sure helps that the Jays offense is scoring some runs for him, not that he really needs it. However, even at 10-1 on the year, it's almost frustrating. It's unquestioned that he SHOULD be 12-1 right now. He got a no decision after 7 shutout innings vs. Atlanta two weeks ago (Jays lost 1-0). And then in his next start, the bullpen blew an 8-3 lead in the 8th inning for him. Since that time, Halladay has thrown two complete games. Ha!
2. The Jays have been very adamant that they will not entertain any trade talks for Halladay. Even assuming they fall out of the race (which doesn't appear to be happening anytime real soon), I am in agreement with their approach. You just can't trade a guy like that, especially in Toronto. While that franchise has been fairly successful, it's not exactly a hot baseball town. Without Halladay, I'm not sure they'd draw more than 15,000 per game. But when Roy is on the mound, they draw very, very well. The Halladay vs. Burnett matchup a few weeks back was sold out - it was like watching a hockey game.
Of course, could you imagine the king's ransom they could get for Halladay? It would be an epic haul if they did it right. I certainly wouldn't mind him going to the Dodgers, although I suspect the Dodgers would have to give up some prospects and some major-league ready talent. Any deal would probably have to include someone like Ethier, at least.
Keep in mind that Halladay does what he does in the AL East! They have great offenses and DH's. Imagine him in the freaking NL West. SF, SD, and ARI wouldn't have a chance.
3. Mrs. Stockel knows all about the man-love for Halladay. Whenever Roy's on the mound, I always try to show her the intricacies of his approach and the way he sets up a batter. I don't think she really cares though. She's just waiting for the fantasy bounty that Halladay may bring to the family.