Roy Halladay (2010-2013?)

2012 Panini Triple Play #154 to #162

Marlins 4, Phillies 0
Game 156 - Monday Night, September 23rd in Miami
Record - 71-85, Tied for 3rd Place, 21 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The offense and Roy Halladay's right arm failed to do their things, and the Phillies dropped the series opener in Miami, 4-0.

What It Means:  There have been quite a few depressing baseball games this season, but this was perhaps the most depressing game of all.  Roy Halladay, trying to re-start his career after a tough 2012 season and mid-season shoulder surgery this season, left this game after throwing 16 pitches.  The official diagnosis following his departure was "right arm fatigue."

If this is the end for Halladay, and I hope it isn't, he provided the Phillies and their fans with some of the best pitching performances in franchise history.  For two seasons, in 2010 and 2011, Halladay was as dominant a pitcher as I have ever witnessed.  (And I vaguely recall seeing Steve Carlton pitch in the early 1980s.)  From his Cy Young Award winning performance in 2010, which featured a perfect game on May 29th and a postseason no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLDS on October 6th, to his 19-win season in 2011, Halladay looked like nothing would ever stop him.

He was slowed by injury in 2012 and it's been tough this season watching him struggle mightily with his control and velocity.  If this is the end, and again I hope it isn't, Halladay's Phillies stats in 103 starts over four seasons are 55-29 with a 3.25 ERA.

What Went Wrong:  See above.

Halladay and six Phillies relievers combined to walk nine Marlins in this game.  The offense managed four hits off Nate Eovaldi and a pair of Marlins relievers.

Featured Cards:  A large caricature of Halladay was featured on nine different cards in last year's Panini Triple Play set.  I decided to scan the nine cards together as my little tribute to Doc.