An iconic Philadelphia Phillies pitcher has been named one of the greatest athletes of the 21st century.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the late Roy Halladay is not just one of the best athletes in Major League Baseball history. In his career with the Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays, Halladay boasted a win-loss record of 203-105. He was an eight-time All-Star, two-time Cy Young Award winner, and two-time MLB wins leader.
Halladay pitched a perfect game on May 29, 2010, the tenth pitcher in Phillies history to do so, and a postseason no-hitter on October 6, 2010.
"Halladay was the product of a bygone era in which a pitcher endeavored to finish what he started," Passan said. "Never gifted with overwhelming velocity, Halladay killed with paper cuts. He walked hitters at an almost identical rate to Greg Maddux and logged 220-plus-inning seasons like they were nothing.
"His right arm got the glory, but it was Halladay's brain -- his innate sense of how to pitch to every hitter -- that won him 203 games. When he died in a plane crash in 2017, a profound sadness spread through the sport. The great pitching artisan was gone, never to be replicated."
Halladay's numbers with the Blue Jays and Phillies, 32 and 34 respectively, have been posthumously retired by the organizations. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame on July 21, 2019.
Halladay isn't the only Phillie on the list. Eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP Bryce Harper was ranked 79th overall.
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