Roy Halladay spent 11 full seasons in Toronto (and a few starts in a 12th), so this game will be quite a homecoming.
Here is a guy who when he left Toronto took out a full-page ad in the newspaper to thank the fans and the organization for everything they had done for him.
He was loved by the fans while he was there, so this is probably a very emotional and happy time for him.
It is interesting to look at the impact he made on Toronto while he was there.
During his time in Toronto, Halladay posted 148 wins with a 3.43 overall ERA and a Cy Young in 2003 when he went 22-7 with nine complete games.
One of the most impressive numbers of that campaign was that he faced 1,071 batters that season
During his entire tenure in the American League, only one other pitcher even broke 1,000.
Tanyon Sturtze (remember him?) faced 1008 batters in 2002 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
However, during that season, he led the American League in hits allowed and walks, so it is safe to say that he didn't face that many batters by pitching really deep into games and dominating (he went 4-18 that season).
Anyway, back to Halladay in Toronto. Like he has shown in Philadelphia, he liked to finish games. He never quite hit 10 complete games, but he did throw nine in three separate campaigns.
In 2009, he had four shutouts in his nine complete games that year which is ironic because that is exactly what he did in his first year in Philly.
Now, Halladay returns as the opponent, and this is a matchup that definitely favors the Phillies.
He is pitching a season that is not all that different from his Cy Young campaign of 2003, as far as the statistics go.
He is 10-3 right now with a 2.40 ERA. He already has five complete games, although has yet to finish off a shutout.
The impact that he has made on this rotation has been phenomenal and the Phillies hope that he would be able to continue his success and perhaps grab his second straight National League Cy Young Award.
He is going to receive a huge ovation from the Toronto fans today if the reception he got when he delivered the lineup card yesterday was any indication. Hopefully for Halladay, though, it will be the Phillies fans cheering louder at the end of the day.
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