Roy Halladay

My son and I met Roy Halladay outside of Tropicana Field as he was leaving for the night after being awarded at the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame dinner on February 6, 2016. Roy signed my 8x10 picture for me and signed a 2009 Upper Deck baseball card for my son. I remember the joy I had of finally getting this amazing 8x10 picture signed! I saw Roy again in November of 2016 as he was being inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame. I was hoping to take a picture of him with my son, but he was running late to the event. He approached me and clearly seemed lost. I pointed at the door where the event was being held and said, "You're in the right place!" He nodded and thanked me. I didn't want to bother him for a picture when he was leaving for the night. I figured I'd see him around again since we both lived in the same area. Sadly, Roy was taken away about a year later as his plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on November 7, 2017. Roy's two Cy Young awards along with a Perfect Game and No-Hitter during a playoff game are two key notes into the greatness of his pitching. Roy was announced as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2019 on January 22, 2019 by receiving 85.4% of votes by the BBWAA on his first year of eligibility.