Halladay's 10 greatest performances on the hill

Roy Halladay was one of the greatest pitchers of his generation, and one of the greatest pitchers in the histories of the Blue Jays and Phillies. Elected to the Hall of Fame in his first time on the ballot on Tuesday, he died in November 2017 at the age of 40 after his plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the coast of Holiday, Fla.
Here is a look at arguably his 10 greatest moments on the mound:
Sept. 27, 1998
Halladay was one out away from a no-hitter during the second start of his big league career with the Blue Jays when Bobby Higginson hit a solo home run to left field. Toronto won the game, 2-1. Halladay struggled over the next two seasons, eventually falling all the way back to Class A Dunedin, but this was the first glimpse of his future dominance.

July 2, 2001
Halladay returned after a three-month stint in the Minors to completely overhaul his mechanics with longtime pitching coach Mel Queen. He allowed six runs over 2 1/3 innings in his first start back, but he went 5-3 with a 2.71 ERA the rest of the way to complete the comeback. The final start of the year was also Halladay's best, with a two-hit shutout over the Indians.

Sept. 6, 2003
One of Halladay's signature games came in 2003, when he needed just 99 pitches to earn a complete-game 10-inning victory over the Tigers. He did not allow a run and surrendered just three hits in a game that took two hours and three minutes to complete.

Sept. 27, 2003
Halladay became the first pitcher in Blue Jays history to win 22 games, following a 5-4 victory over the Indians. It was his fifth complete game of the month as he secured his first Cy Young Award.

Sept. 25, 2009
Halladay left the field at Rogers Centre as a member of the Blue Jays for the final time. He got a standing ovation after picking up the 15th shutout of his career in a 5-0 victory over the Mariners. Halladay had been frequently mentioned in trade talks earlier in the season, and by this point, it had become a foregone conclusion that Toronto would deal him in the offseason.

May 29, 2010
Halladay became just the 20th pitcher in baseball history to throw a perfect game, striking out 11 in a 1-0 victory over the Marlins. He showed his appreciation afterward, buying about 60 watches for teammates and team personnel. Each watch was engraved, "We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay."

Sept. 27, 2010
Halladay threw a two-hit shutout in an 8-0 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park, which clinched the Phils' fourth consecutive National League East title and his first trip to the postseason. It also helped him secure his second Cy Young Award.

Oct. 6, 2010
Halladay pitched the second no-hitter in postseason history in the first postseason start of his career, striking out eight and walking one in a 4-0 victory over the Reds in Game 1 of the NL Division Series.

"The longer you play, the more you think about having that chance and being able to be involved in it," Halladay said that night. "It's been fun to do here because of the atmosphere and the guys on the team. It's been really everything that I hoped it would be. It's something that I've looked forward to, and obviously very glad I got the chance."
Oct. 21, 2010
The Phillies faced elimination against the Giants in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series, and Halladay pulled his right groin muscle in the second inning at AT&T Park. Despite not being able to top 90 mph with his fastball, he pitched six strong innings in a victory to send the series back to Philadelphia.
"I felt like it was something I could get by with," Halladay said.
"He wasn't going to let us take him out," manager Charlie Manuel said.
"He's a man," Jayson Werth said.

Oct. 7, 2011
Halladay allowed one run in the first inning in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals. Chris Carpenter threw a shutout to beat his friend and win the series. Halladay sat at his locker for more than 20 minutes after the game before slowly removing his uniform. He would never again pitch in the postseason.

"The hard part is you think about all the hard work you put in over the course of the year, all the anticipation, all the excitement," Halladay said. "You have two days leading up to the game today, knowing how big the game is going to be. All of a sudden that kind of dissipates. It's tough. It's hard to have it end like that. You always want to finish happy."