What people were saying about the tragic death of Roy Halladay
Yesterday, Roy Halladay’s single-engine plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida. Within hours, the local sheriff’s department had confirmed that the legendary pitcher was dead at age 40. Halladay, who started his career with the Blue Jays before joining the Phillies in 2010, was beloved by fans across North America, and so it didn’t take long for Twitter to turn into a wake. Here’s what people were saying:
Here’s the official statement from the Jays:
Statement from the Blue Jays organization on the tragic passing of Roy Halladay: pic.twitter.com/Ih8D0RQE9p
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) November 7, 2017
It wasn’t long before fans started chiming in with memorial ideas:
A simple ask of the Blue Jays – retire #32, put Roy Halladay's name on the Level of Excellence and put up a statue in his honour outside the Rogers Centre.
— Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) November 8, 2017
It’s not unheard of for the city to rename streets after deceased notables, but it would be unusual for that to be done on behalf of a baseball player:
Let’s do one better and have Bremner Blvd renamed Roy Halladay Blvd! https://t.co/s6n22lv4q1
— Barry Davis (@BarryDavis_) November 8, 2017
Others focused on Halladay’s exemplary on-field performance:
Roy Halladay: 15 shutouts in 287 starts with the Jays
Jays Starters Since: 15 shutouts in 1,296 games
Legend.— Chris Black (@ByChrisBlack) November 7, 2017
He could definitely throw a ball:
Roy Halladay had five seasons with at least 200 strikeouts and 40 or fewer walks. No other pitcher in baseball history has more than three.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) November 7, 2017
Some of the biggest names in the sport chimed in with condolences:
Sad to hear about the passing of Roy Halladay today. Tremendous competitor. Prayers go out to his family. pic.twitter.com/qhAZeWaVyG
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) November 8, 2017
The reigning star of the Jays pitching staff was caught off guard by the news:
Oh my god man. Day ruined. Wow. Prayers with the entire Halladay family. This is awful! https://t.co/nrS2INJ231
— Marcus Stroman (@MStrooo6) November 7, 2017
So was the team’s star closer:
RIP , one of the greatest .. pic.twitter.com/g4kfUdO3eB
— Roberto Osuna (@RobertoOsuna1) November 7, 2017
Halladay was as big a deal in Philly as he was in Toronto. Even the local zoo got in a memorial tweet:
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Roy Halladay. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/9fFLPnjXHz
— Philadelphia Zoo (@phillyzoo) November 7, 2017
Halladay’s former Phillies teammates were blindsided:
Some of you have no idea what Roy Halladay meant to the careers of so many of the up & coming stars. Phone calls. Group talks etc. RIP Doc
— Daniel Norris (@DanielNorris18) November 7, 2017
A few of them tweeted condolences:
I’ll never forget Aug ‘13. Doc and I were two months away from retirement. He was hurt, clearly. He was still pitching tho. One day in Wrigley he was throwing 83, and all over the place. I go to the mound and he just said “everything hurts.”
He wouldnt come out. Always fighting.— Michael Young (@MikeyY626) November 7, 2017
Devastated by the tragic loss of Roy Halladay. Best, most consistent pitcher ever. Tremendous teammate. Loving father. Great person. Prayers
— Raúl Ibañez (@RaulIbanezMLB) November 7, 2017
