The world of baseball is mourning the sudden passing of former Blue Jays great Roy Halladay. The 40-year-old was killed when his private plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Florida.
This past June, Halladay was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Director of Operations Scott Crawford says fans fell in love in Halladay from the start and the feeling was mutual.
"He spent 12 years in Toronto. He came back and got a one day contract to retire as a Toronto Blue Jay after he spent four years in Philladelphia. His one son was born in Toronto. He loved the country. He was friends with a lot of Blue Jay players and it was an honour to have him here this summer."
Crawford says the 21-year-old's start in the majors was a rollercoaster, nearly pitching a no-hitter in his second Major League game before being sent down to the minors. But Crawford says "the fans still stayed behind him."
"He rebuilt his wind-up, he rebuilt his whole pitching aspect and came back to be the great pitcher we know."
