Tragedy struck Tuesday as it was confirmed that former Cy Young winner Roy Halladay was killed in a Plane crash. Halladay was flying a small plane along the Gulf of Mexico when his plane went down into the water. The Pasco County Sheriff confirmed that the sole pilot of the Icon A5 plane wreckage was indeed Halladay and he was killed upon impact.

This news struck the sports world very hard. Halladay had an incredible career and was one of the most respected baseball players of the last decade. A member of both the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, he made history throwing a no-hitter in the 2010 postseason and won two Cy Young awards.

He was 40 years old.

Halladay's career

The right-handed pitcher was the 17th overall pick in the 1995 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his MLB debut in 1998 at the age of 21. Over the next decade, he became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He won his first Cy Young award in 2003 when he put up a 22-7 record, 3.25 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 204 strikeouts in 266.0 innings. He would be in the top-five in Cy Young voting from 2006-2009.

In 12 total years in Toronto, Halladay was a six-time All-Star with 148 wins, 3.43 ERA and 1,495 strikeouts.

After the 2009 season in December, Halladay was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first season as a Philly in 2010, he won his second Cy Young award, threw a no-hitter and perfect game and participated in the postseason for the first time in his career.

His regular season numbers that year were 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 250.2 innings. On May 29, 2010, he threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium. His single greatest accomplishment, ever, came in game one of the 2010 NLDS against the Reds. He threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in that game one at Citizens Bank Park.

It was his first career postseason start.

He continued to play through 2013 with the Phillies, he then retired. He finished his career with a 203-105 record, 3.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2,117 strikeouts, 3.39 FIP and a 65.6 bWAR in 16 years. He was an eight-time All-Star, two time Cy Young winner and should be a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reaction

His death is hitting many people hard, it is so shocking. Halladay was one of the greatest players to watch during the turn of the century. Players and fans alike have taken to social media to pay their respects to the future Hall of Famer. This will be a tough one to swallow for many and he will never be forgotten by those associated with him and who watched him.

Rest in peace, Roy Halladay.
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