He has been everything the Philadelphia Phillies hoped for when they made a convoluted three-team trade to swap one ace for another. The Phillies may have given up some prospects for Roy Halladay, but with Cliff Lee fighting back issues in Texas, it looks like Philadelphia nailed this one.
Halladay is the clear choice for the National League Cy Young Award. The 33-year-old won his first Cy Young Award in the American League with Toronto in 2003. In his first year in the National League — away from the imposing, relentless lineups of the AL East — Halladay dropped his ERA from 2.79 to 2.44.
Recommended Stories
Yes, Florida’s Josh Johnson has a lower ERA at 2.30. But that’s a marginal difference, and Johnson was shut down early in September thanks to a sore shoulder and tightness in his back. Halladay has pitched 67 more innings than Johnson and has nine complete games. When the Phillies gave their ace the ball, he didn’t give it back in 27 percent of his starts. In this age of specialist relievers, that’s astounding. He pitched eight complete innings five other times. In fact, in 33 starts, Halladay never left a game before the sixth inning.
Now, St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright threw 230 1/3 innings and has a 2.42 ERA. And we’re not going to punish him for things out of his control, such as one fewer win than Halladay or the fact that the Cardinals won’t make the playoffs. The fact is, Halladay walked 26 fewer batters than Wainwright and struck out six more.
Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez had no chance to keep up his blistering first-half pace with a 15-1 record and a 2.20 ERA on July 8. His ERA “ballooned” to 2.99 over his final 14 starts. Still a wonderful season, obviously. But when compared to Halladay? Not even close. Give Halladay his due — his presence at the top of the league’s deepest rotation makes Philadelphia a World Series favorite.
