Roy Halladay
Another Hall of Famer with a short stint in Philadelphia, Roy Halladay became a fan favorite thanks to a unique combination of dominance and hard work. The fans recognized Doc’s work ethic, even if they never saw everything he put his body through to perform the way he did.
After failing to clinch consecutive World Series titles, the Phillies felt like they needed some star power to push them over the top. Halladay was Ruben Amaro Jr.’s white whale, and the team pursued Halladay hard the following offseason.
Halladay voiced his desire to play in Philadelphia, and the club sent a haul of prospects, including top prospect Kyle Drabek, to the Blue Jays in exchange for a Toronto legend.
There isn’t much that can be said about how perfect Halladay’s first season in Philadelphia was. A perfect game, postseason no-hitter, and a league leader in nearly every pitching category led to Doc winning his second Cy Young award.
After a second season where he was just as brilliant, Halladay’s body began to breakdown and his effectiveness as a pitcher wained. Doc retired after the 2013 season after pitching in just 13 games the prior season.
Tragically, Halladay will never see himself in Cooperstown after dying in a plane crash off the coast of Florida in Nov. 2017. The Phillies and Blue Jays each honored Halladay leading up to his posthumous first-ballot Hall of Fame induction in 2019.