Phillies legend Roy Halladay dead in Gulf Coast plane crash

Roy Halladay is one of the greatest pitchers in our generation

Phillies legend Roy Halladay has passed away at the age of 40 after his plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. He is survived by his wife Brandy and his two sons Ryan and Braden. Halladay was recently with his son’s team having recently won a championship.

Local authorities report that at 12:06 Tuesday afternoon they received word of a plane crash off the coast. The plane was upside down in shallow water when recovery crews arrived on the scene.

Halladay pitched in Philadelphia over four seasons after being acquired in an offseason trade prior to the 2010 season. Highly-touted prospects Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Drabek, and Michael Taylor went to Toronto for the Cy Young winner, and Taylor was subsequently flipped to Oakland.

Over 103 games for the Phillies Halladay compiled a 55-29 record with a 3.25 ERA. He won the Cy Young in his first season with the Phillies and threw a no-hitter in his first postseason start, the same year he threw a perfect game against the Marlins.

Halladay’s two Cy Youngs made him the sixth pitcher all-time to win the award in both leagues.

The Phillies released the following statement regarding Halladay’s sudden death:

We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay’s untimely death. 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.

Halladay is the fourth member of the Phillies family to pass away in a year. Darren Daulton, Jim Bunning, and Ruben Amaro Sr., whose son traded for Halladay, all left us.