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Late Halladay Gets Hall Call

Roy Halladay - Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

The late Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies smiles during a workout before the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park on October 15, 2010 in Philadelphia. (Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)


Tuesday, the Hall call came for the late Roy Halladay.

Halladay is one of four members of the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, former Orioles starter Mike Mussina and former Mariners designated hitter Edgar Martinez also earned election to the Hall, in Cooperstown, New York.

Lee Smith and Harold Baines made their way into this year's class by way of the Veterans Committee.

With 75 percent of the 425 votes needed for election, Halladay received 85.4% (363 votes) in his first year eligible.

Halladay prepped at Arvada West High School and went on to pitch in the Major Leagues for 16 seasons, 12 with the Toronto Blue Jays and four more with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He was a two-time Cy Young Award winner and an All-Star eight times.

Halladay died on November 7, 2017 when the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.

He was 40 years old.

KOA NewsRadio Rockies and MLB Insider Ed Henderson was a scout for the Florida Marlins when he first saw Halladay pitch as a junior at Arvada West. Halladay was the first player Henderson scouted with the Marlins and the two became friends. Henderson is still close to Halladay's family.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic about the selection," Henderson told KOA on Tuesday after the announcement came down. "It's a very deserving and correct decision on the part of the writers to vote for him."

"I knew from the the first year I watched him in high school that he was somebody very special. I'm thrilled he has reached the pinnacle of baseball achievements," Henderson added.

Halladay will posthumously enter Cooperstown on Sunday, July 21, 2019.

"I'm so happy for his family, his teammates from Arvada West, the Blue Jays and the Phillies," Henderson said. "I think he would have been very humbled by it [being voted into the Hall of Fame]. He did not talk a lot about his ability but I think he would have been proud and tremendously honored by the company he is going in with."

"One of the last times I saw him, I told him I hope I live long enough to see you go into Cooperstown," Henderson said.

Halladay finished his career with a record of 203-105 and an ERA of 3.38. He had 2,117 strikeouts and only 592 walks in 2,749.1 innings pitched.

In 2018, Halladay was posthumously inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.

Halladay's wife, Brandy, released the following statement:

"Being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is every boy's dream. To stand on that stage in Cooperstown and deliver your acceptance speech in front of baseball's most enthusiastic fans is something that every baseball player aspires to achieve, and Roy was no exception. It was not his goal to have those three letters after his signature. His goal was to be successful every single day of his 15-year career. Tonight's announcement is the end result of that effort. If only Roy were here to personally express his gratitude for this honor, what an even more amazing day this would be. I would like to extend special thanks to the baseball writers for the overwhelming percentage of votes that Roy received in his first year on the ballot. It means so much to me, [and sons] Braden and Ryan."

Rivera, a member of the Yankees for all 19 years of his Major League career, holds the Major League record of 652 career saves. He is the first player to receive 100% of the votes for the Hall of Fame.

Martinez hit .312 with 309 HR and 1261 RBIs in 18 years with the Mariners.

Mussina was with the Orioles and Yankees during his 18 years in the Big Leagues. He was 270-153 with a 3.68 ERA.

Former Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker surged to 54.6% and could be in position to gain election next year.

Former Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, in his first year eligible, was named on 16.5% of the ballots.

Walker spoke with reporters on a conference call after the voting results were released on Tuesday.

The Hall calls for Mariano Rivera and Edgar Martinez.


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