Out of the 30 some-odd ballgames I went to see this year, about a third of them involved Harry Leroy “Doc” Halladay toeing the rubber for the Toronto side. And he didn’t lose any of the games I saw him pitch – not to think that I was his lucky charm – as he went 10-0 in the 11 starts I was fortunate to be in attendance, including one in Yankee Stadium. The only other start where he didn’t win? An injury shortened outing on June 12th against the Marlins where he subsequently went on the disabled list for two weeks. I didn’t think I was much of a good-luck charm then. Suffice it to say – I’ve seen Doc win his 22nd game, start Opening Days – but this was probably the year to see him pitch. Possibly, given how bad this Blue Jays team was, the best year I’ve seen him pitch. And that includes the Cy Young award-winning year in 2003.

Besides that blip on the radar in June, I have been witness to some outstanding pitching on Doc’s part. I’ve caught three of his major league-leading four shutouts, seen him throw six of his nine complete games (an MLB best) and just rise to the occasion when his team has needed it (whether or not this team deserves him is another blog for another day). Toronto has been spoiled by Doc’s brilliance, just like another underappreciated star playing in Hogtown: Mats Sundin. Unfortunately, Halladay has played to lesser crowds and has less cache than the former Maple Leafs captain, thanks to the fact baseball has taken a back seat in this town. And like long-suffering Maple Leafs fans, who rue their talentless team minus Mats, more sooner than later baseball fans will shudder to think that the Blue Jays will have a Halladay-less squad. Like Joni Mitchell said in ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, “You don’t what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”.

So with that in mind, I’m here to savor the best of Doc at the bump in 2009. I wish I could list all 10 starts that I saw him on the winning side of the ledger, but here are the ones that stand out:

• May 12 – 9.0 innings pitched (complete game), five hits allowed, one run allowed, no walks and five strikeouts in a 5-1 against the New York Yankees. I’ve mentioned this game as one of the best I saw this year in a previous blog, and not just because I saw former Blue Jay A.J. Burnett get feathered and tarred by the Toronto bats. This game showed Doc rose above the hype of said matchup and pitched to the occasion – a tilt that was, for the moment, between the best two teams in the AL East. Doc, at one point, retired 17 straight batters between Yankee left fielder Johnny Damon’s hits in the first and seventh innings! The only real trouble he was in was after the Yankees had scored to reduce the lead to 3-1, but got out of it by freezing designated hitter Nick Swisher on a called strike three. The largest crowd since opening night – 43,737 in attendance – roared in approval after the final out.
• June 2 – Another complete game beauty, as Doc strikes out 14 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim batters in a 6-4 win. Doc, in the last few years, has relied on the strikeout as much as a groundball out, and tonight belied the results of that dependance. He retired 13 batters in a row at one point, and struck out an Angel in every inning save the first one. A four-run seventh inning by the visitors was cushioned by a six-run lead Toronto had built up earlier, but Doc managed to wriggle out of the jam by striking out the last Angel looking. In fact, Doc struck out six of the last seven outs, including the final out in Angels’ shortstop Macier Izturis. It was a career high for K’s in a single game for Halladay.
• July 19 – Doc, despite the distraction of numerous trade rumours, throws a solid complete-game effort and wins 3-1 against the AL East division-leading Boston Red Sox. Another emotionally charged game, but for the wrong reasons. During the All-Star break, Doc expressed interest in exploring his free-agent options after his current contract with the ballclub expires in 2010. Then Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi went on the offensive and mounted his own PR campaign to deal the ace hurler, saying he would explore options that were best for the team, and maybe make a deal with anyone willing to part a king’s ransom. This sent off a media firestorm for Halladay’s future services, which may have irked Roy to no end, as he was the starting pitcher for the American League in the mid-summer classic. This start against Boston, his first after the All-Star Game, had many scouts in attendance plus many Toronto faithful fearing that it would be his last in a Blue Jays uniform. Roy ceded a run in the first inning but that would be all he allowed, scattering six hits in the process. He finished the game with a flourish, retiring the final 10 batters including Boston centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury on a swinging strikeout. If that was his final start in Toronto, what a way to end it…but it was not, at least for the moment.
• September 4 – Doc allows the New York Yankees one hit in 6-0 Toronto win. Another brush with perfection for Halladay, as he was perfect for 4 2/3 innings and didn’t give up a hit until backup Yankees shortstop Ramiro Pena lined a double to right field to begin the sixth inning. Funny story – I had witnessed all five hitless innings up to that point but missed the start of the sixth because, well, nature called. When I emerged, I saw on the above monitors that Pena had broken up the no-no. Maybe I should have invested in the Stadium Pal (look it up, you’ll know what I mean). Quite possibly the best game I’ve seen Roy pitch, and that means a lot considering all the ball games I’ve seen him start! Only 22,179 were in attendance, which was a sad turnout. The best pitcher this organization’s produced, and a crowd that isn’t even half full to watch the finest performance of his career.
• September 25 – Doc throws another shutout in a 5-0 win against their expansion cousins, the Seattle Mariners. Noteworthy because it may have been Doc’s final home start as a Blue Jay, and in the powder blue togs, no less. The game seemed more of a valedictory address to the young turks on the pitching staff: This is how I do it; throw strikes, mix up pitches, set ‘em up and keep it on the ground. If it were only that simple, Doc, you wouldn’t be on such a crappy team this year. Anyways, Toronto fans are a smart, sentimental if apathetic bunch; many rose to the occasion in the ninth as the inning started. We all knew this could be it, and who knew what trade winds would bring in the offseason for Doc? My friend and I discussed during the game, that we were in unanimous support of not trading Doc, but reality will eventually trump sentiment if the team ever wants to be a consistent winner again. I’m just wondering, won’t they need the good Doctor then? Again, another 20,000+ crowd, which disappoints. There were almost 40,000 for the final home crowd of the season two days later, but for a guy who’s given his all and pitched his heart out, winning numerous awards and acclaim in the process, couldn’t we give him more people than a Raptors/Maple Leafs playoff game to give him a proper sendoff?

So there you have it, the best of Doc’s best that I was witness to in 2009. I just hope I can repeat this kind of blog next season, and that it won’t be the last of its kind.