REST IN PEACE: The Golden State Warriors have announced the death of their former star
Roy Halladay throws a pitch during the first inning of a 2013 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Philadelphia. – photo by Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Roy Halladay had a passion for flying airplanes that nearly matched his love of baseball.
Halladay worked tirelessly to become a dominant pitcher, winning a Cy Young Award in each league and tossing a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter in the same year for the Philadelphia Phillies. When he couldn’t pitch at a high level anymore, Halladay walked away from the game and immersed himself in another craft.
The son of a corporate pilot, Halladay quickly got his license to fly — despite his wife’s misgivings. The eight-time All-Star fulfilled his dream when he purchased his own plane last month.
PHILADELPHIA — Roy Halladay had a passion for flying airplanes that nearly matched his love of baseball.
Halladay worked tirelessly to become a dominant pitcher, winning a Cy Young Award in each league and tossing a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter in the same year for the Philadelphia Phillies. When he couldn’t pitch at a high level anymore, Halladay walked away from the game and immersed himself in another craft.
The son of a corporate pilot, Halladay quickly got his license to fly — despite his wife’s misgivings. The eight-time All-Star fulfilled his dream when he purchased his own plane last month.
Halladay died Tuesday when that private plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. He was 40.
“All-Star pitcher. All-Star person. All-Star father and family man,” Phillies chairman David Montgomery said at a news conference.
Former teammate and current Texas Rangers ace Cole Hamels joined Montgomery at Philadelphia’s ballpark to remember Halladay
Knowing his father was a pilot, you look up to your dad always,” Hamels said. “He had that bug that he wanted to fly. That was his passion. You have to respect that. He prepared for everything. He took this serious.”
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said during a news conference in Holiday, Florida, that Halladay’s ICON A5 went down around noon off the coast. The sheriff’s office marine unit responded and discovered Halladay’s body in shallow water near some mangroves. No survivors were found.
Police said they couldn’t confirm if there were additional passengers on the plane or say where it was headed. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Halladay, who retired after the 2013 season, often posted on social media about small planes .
“I have dreamed about owning a A5 since I retired! Real life is better then my dreams!!” Halladay tweeted on Oct. 13.
ICON aircraft had posted a video with Halladay trying out a new plane. The video showed Halladay taking delivery of a new ICON A5, a two-seat “light-sport aircraft” that can land on water.
Leave a Reply