The Philadelphia Phillies will be retiring late Roy Halladay‘s jersey, almost three years after the legendary pitcher died in a plane crash at the age of 40.
On Tuesday, the Phillies announced they will be retiring Halladay’s No. 34 on May 29, the 10th anniversary of his 2010 perfect game. A statue to Halladay’s number will be installed at the Third Base Plaza of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
“Roy Halladay made an indelible mark on Phillies history with so many spectacular moments, including his perfect game and postseason no-hitter,” Phillies Executive Vice President David Buck said in a statement.
“His impact on the game was evident by his induction into the Hall of Fame,” Buck added. “We are honored to have Roy join an elite group of players to have their numbers retired by the Phillies.”
In January 2019, Halladay, who earned the nickname “Doc” during his 16-year MLB career split between the Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays, was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with other legendary players like New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera.
During his career, Halladay — an eight-time All-Star — set numerous major league milestones, such as becoming only the 20th player in MLB history to pitch a perfect game.
Just a few months after that perfect game in 2010, he pitched the second no-hitter in postseason history, the first since the 1956 World Series. The two events secured Halladay as only the fifth pitcher ever to have two no-hitters in one season.
After Halladay retired from baseball in 2013, he turned his attention to a personal passion: flying.
“I’ve been dreaming about flying since I was a boy,” Halladay, a father of two, told Seaplane Magazine in October 2017, “but was only able to become a pilot once I retired from baseball.”
RELATED: Pitcher Turned Pilot: A Look Back at the Life of Roy Halladay
After earning his pilot’s license, Halladay bought a 2018 ICON A5, an amphibious aircraft that can take off and land from water or from a tarmac.
Halladay died in November 2017 when his plane crashed into the ocean 10 miles west of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Witnesses said they observed his plane flying erratically before the crash, and an autopsy report released by the Pinellas County Medical Examiner two months later revealed he had amphetamines and morphine in his system at the time of his death.
from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2RZpLTj
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