Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roy “Doc” Halladay died today while flying his own small ICON A5 plane, which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near Holiday, Florida.
The 40-year-old Halladay was a two-time Cy Young Award Winner who obtained his pilot license after he retired from baseball back in 2013.
His father was a corporate pilot and Halladay dreamed of flying planes, but his MLB contracts prevented him most of his life from getting a pilot’s license.
The causes of the crash are still unknown, as the circumstances surrounding the crash are still under investigation. So far it’s been confirmed that Halladay was the only person on the two-seat plane when it crashed around noontime on Tuesday and that his body has already been recovered.
He pitched in the majors for 16 seasons, in which he spent 12 years with the Toronto Blue Jays and four with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Halladay had three seasons of at least 20 wins, a couple of no-hitters and was an eight-time All-Star. His first no-hitter, on May 29, 2010; was a perfect game at Sun-Life Stadium against the Florida Marlins in which he retired all 27 batters and struck out 11.
His second no-hitter of the year was in Game 1 of the NLDS, on October 6, 2010, against the Cincinnati Reds; was only the second no-hitter in playoff history, joining Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
He is the only major league pitcher to have thrown no-hitters in regular season and postseason play.
Halladay, who finished his 16-year career with a 203-105 record and 3.38 ERA, won the American League Cy Young Award in 2003 and then won the National League award with the Phillies in 2010.
He’s one of six pitchers to win the award in both Leagues.
Here’s a 37-second video of Halladay flying his ICON A5 back on October 13.
Can’t begin to explain all the breathtaking views I have seen thru the open windows of demo’s & now my very own Icon A5! Thx to all at Icon! pic.twitter.com/BZsXqcHFmt
— Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) October 13, 2017
