Doc's legacy lives on as Blue Jays unveil accessible baseball diamond

TORONTO -- The legacy of Roy Halladay lives on in Toronto as the Jays Care Foundation unveiled an accessible baseball diamond named in his honor.

The field, which is the first of its kind in Toronto that features rubber for traction and wider dugouts for wheelchair accessibility, opened Wednesday at Highview Park in Scarborough, Ontario, with Brandy Halladay and her two sons, Braden and Ryan, in attendance.

This project represents the single largest infrastructure investment in the history of Jays Care at $1 million, and it's been years in the making. This process began prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on Wednesday, kids from the Challenger Baseball program were able to break in the new field, complete with their own walk-up music in the debut game.

"This field will be a fitting home for some incredible Challenger Baseball athletes, some of whom you will see swinging for the fences today," said Robert Witchel, executive director or Jays Care Foundation, "and space for kids and families to make memories and friendships for decades to come. I'd like to think that this day would put a big smile on Roy's face, and I can't think of a more fitting way to recognize his contribution to our city and to honor his great legacy as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays."

Also in attendance was Toronto mayor John Tory, who spoke about the diamond's role in Toronto's quest to be the most diverse city in the world. Tory was part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony along with the Halladays and Challenger Baseball athletes.

"For someone like Roy Halladay, who was not just dominant on the field but, often out of sight, was someone who extended extraordinary care to the people in his chosen city that he lived in," said Tory. "It is something that will stand as a testament to the character that he had and to the commitment he had to other people."

Halladay was involved with local charities throughout his illustrious career with the Blue Jays, including "Doc's Box," where the Halladays would host kids and families from SickKids. Now, at Roy Halladay Field, one of the dugouts has a sign reading "Doc's Box."

Brandy Halladay spoke during the opening ceremonies as well, expressing that she and her sons had been looking forward to this trip back to the city that meant so much to them as a family. She expects the family's work in the city to continue, too.

"You're stuck with us, like it or not," Halladay joked. "We're very invested in this city and the people here. To be able to continue his legacy and champion the causes that were really important to him, that's very special to me. Roy always knew what he wanted to accomplish professionally, but before he made it to the big leagues, we were talking about foundations, charities and things that we wanted to do to leave the world a better place and leave baseball a better place."

This was about the entire Halladay family, of course, not just Roy.

Marnie Starkman, the Blue Jays' executive vice president of business operations, took time during the ceremony to acknowledge the entire effort that has gone into the Halladay's work, both during his career and since Roy's death in a 2017 plane crash.

"We want to celebrate Brandy as well," Starkman said. "Behind Roy was Brandy, who was fueling a lot of the community efforts that he was doing. A lot of that, the public didn't see on a day-to-day basis, but that's what helped launch Doc's Box and Brandy kept a lot of that going."

Following the ceremonies, as Game 1 took place at Roy Halladay Field behind her, Brandy reflected on what a day like this would mean to her late husband. He'd be humbled and shying away from the attention, Brandy said, and he'd be right out there in the middle of the game.

The day held great meaning to the Halladay family, who saw not only what Roy's legacy means, but will continue to in the years to come.

"It validates that what he did matters," Halladay said. "It really matters."