Toronto Blue Jays will retire Roy Halladay’s number on opening day
The Toronto Blue Jays will retire Roy Halladay‘s number 32 on opening day with a ceremony that will be an emotional one as they remember the former ace.
Only one player has had their number retired by the Toronto Blue Jays. Now Roberto Alomar will have some company, with Roy Halladay’s ceremony being planned for opening day against the New York Yankees.
It comes at an emotional time after Halladay’s unfortunate plane accident which took his life back in November. There was no doubt the team would honour the former ace with a ceremony and it is appropriate they choose to have in on opening day.
Ticket prices for opening day will probably skyrocket after this announcement so if you intend on going, better keep an eye on those prices.
During his 12 years with the Blue Jays, Halladay had a 148-76 record, a career era of 3.43 with 1,495 strikeouts and a CY Young award in 2003. He also pitched four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies winning another Cy Young and throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game.
Join us Opening Day, as we pay tribute to the late Roy Halladay and retire his uniform number.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 12, 2018
In Doc's honour, we will wear a commemorative No. 32 patch on our jerseys for the 2018 season. #DocForever https://t.co/yHD3HpY3dB
In a statement, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro had this to say about Halladay:
"“Through Roy’s values, pride, work ethic, and perseverance, he epitomized what it means to be a Blue Jay,” Shapiro said. “And while his legacy is clear, it goes far beyond the number on his back or his on-field accomplishments, serving as a shining example of how to live a meaningful life and positively impact others.”"
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The team also announced that they will be wearing a commemorative patch on their jersey with Halladay’s no. 32 for the entire 2018 season, which will be seen first at spring training.
Pitchers and catchers report for spring training on Feb. 14. with the first game on T.V. scheduled for Feb. 23 against the Phillies.
The Blue Jays recently signed reliever John Axford to a minor league deal and he will be attending spring training with the team. He recently took to social media to express his excitement about the opportunity.
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The team have a lot of questions ahead of the 2018 season, but at least they made the appropriate decision with Halladay well ahead of time.