Hall of Famer Roy Halladay threw postseason no-hitter 15 years ago. His sons try to honor his legacy

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Braden Halladay stood on the field to throw a first pitch at the same ballpark where Roy Halladay threw a playoff no-hitter and wondered how the moment never seemed too big for his father.

Roy Halladay already had thrown a perfect game for the Phillies in 2010, about as rare a feat a pitcher can accomplish in baseball. Halladay pitched himself into baseball history later that October with a playoff no-hitter, the second ever in baseball and a moment that forever stamped an already great pitcher as a bona fide Hall of Famer.

“Tough to be in front of that many people,” Braden Halladay said. “Makes me really think about how incredible it is that my dad not only did it in the regular season but in the postseason. How well he did it, it’s really special to think about for me.”

Braden Halladay and his brother, Ryan, both had troves of special memories to share about their father eight years after he died in a plane crash at the age of 40. The Halladay brothers were greeted with a roaring ovation moments after a video tribute aired on the 15-year anniversary of the Phillies ace's Oct. 6, 2010, no-hitter against Cincinnati.

There was Halladay again, wrapped in a big bear hug with catcher Carlos Ruiz after the final out. Affectionately known as “Chooch,” Ruiz returned on Monday night to catch the first pitch before the Phillies lost to the Dodgers.

“Those moments are in your mind, in your heart,” Ruiz said through an interpreter. “It was an honor to be a part of such a great moment. Being here today and being able to catch for his son is a great honor.”

Braden Halladay hoped to stick around the big leagues, though not quite as the dominant ace of his era like dad. He pitched at Penn State and earned a master’s degree before he decided to pursue his dream of a front-office job — a career path hatched from growing up around the Phillies’ brain trust inside Citizens Bank Park.

“I always wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. That’s every kid’s dream,” Braden said. “But I was super obsessed with the front office and how the front office works. I think anybody who was here and knew me can second that. Even as a 10-year-old, I was just completely enamored by it.”

Braden worked this past spring training with the Phillies’ Single-A team in Clearwater before he landed work as a data apprentice with the Texas Rangers. With the year over, Braden is exploring his options for his next steps in baseball.

“I’m excited to not only follow in my dad’s footsteps but make my own mark on the game, as well, and have my own career,” he said.

Roy Halladay was already a Cy Young Award winner, a 20-game winner and a workhorse who struck out 253 batters in 2003 for the Toronto Blue Jays when he came to Philadelphia. Halladay never really sniffed the playoffs in Toronto and knew he could find that postseason success he craved in Philly when he was traded to the Phillies ahead of the 2010 season. The Phillies had won three straight NL East titles, two pennants and the 2008 World Series when the 6-foot-6 right-hander arrived poised to win them another title.

Halladay had a first season to remember, going 21-10 with the perfect game on May 29, 2010, in Miami, the no-hitter in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Reds and another Cy Young Award.

Yes, the no-hitter came in his postseason debut.

The game marked 10-year-old Braden's first playoff game, too.

“My dad wouldn’t let us go until he was in it,” Braden said. “He clearly wasn’t until then.”

Braden's highlight from that game was making the jumbotron that night. Ryan Halladay was about to celebrate a birthday and was too young to really understand the gravity of the moment. Plus, he had something more important to worry about than his dad pitching a whale of a game — a birthday trip to the aquarium was on-deck.

“That’s all I could think about,” Ryan said. “I didn’t care much about anything else at the time.”

The brothers understand and appreciate now all their dad accomplished in baseball. Halladay would spend only four of his 16 seasons in Philadelphia. Halladay never did win that World Series with the Phillies but was 55-29 with a 3.25 ERA with them before he retired after the 2013 season when right shoulder trouble ended his career.

The Phillies retired his No. 34 and inducted him into their version of the Hall of Fame.

For one more night in Philadelphia, the brothers got to share in the love from the Phillies fans they showered on their father. Braden noted standing so close to the mound “almost feels like I'm back here with him.”

“It's always nice to come back and revisit everything,” he said, “I think that any time I get to be around it, it helps me stay really close to my dad.”

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