Roy Halladay: Best Pitcher in Baseball

If you were to ask the average baseball fan who has been the most dominant pitcher during the past 5 seasons, then you will most likely hear the names of Johan Santana, Josh Beckett, Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy. These four pitchers seem to get all the hype and glory when it comes to "pitcher talk." Yes, these guys are simply awesome and they deserve most of the credit that they receive. But aren't you all forgetting about somebody? Where is the love for Roy Halladay? This guy is one of the most consistent and reliable pitchers in today's game, yet he always seems to take a back seat to a handful of other pitchers. I guess that's what happens when you play for the Toronto Blue Jays. If only they got the same attention as the popular teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. If only Halladay had more talent around him so they could win more games and more easily be noticed . . . and receive more nationally televised games. If only that could happen. If that happened, then Halladay would probably be the name mentioned 1^st or 2^nd when it comes to dominant pitchers . . . not 6^th or 7^th.

If you question his greatness, just look at his career record, which, as of August 14, 2008, is an impressive 124 wins and 63 losses. His wins nearly doubles his losses! How many other pitchers can say that? Beckett's career record is 87-60; Webb's record is 81-59; and Peavy's record is 84-58. Santana is the only guy that is in the same ball park, as his career record is 102-51.

What makes Halladay even more impressive is the fact that he has pitched in the American League during his ENTIRE career, thus, he never gets to have any easy strikeouts or sacrifice bunt-outs against opposing pitchers. Instead, he gets to face a big bruising designated hitter every game.

Not only has he been in the American League his whole career, but he has been in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees! And we all know that the Red Sox and Yankees always have power-filled lineups every single season. Plus, this guy has to pitch in a dome, so he doesn't have as many opportunites to pitch in pitcher-friendly cold weather during the early spring and early fall.

What I find most impressive is this guy's endurance. Take a look at the past five seasons, up to today. During that time, he has thrown a whopping 24 complete games! Of the other guys listed, only Webb comes within earshot, as he has had 14 complete games during that time. As for the other guys, Santana has had 7, Peavy has had 6 and Beckett has had 5. Mr. Halladay pitches the WHOLE game. He doesn't need a closer to come in and preserve a win for him. He does it himself. Sure, you could say others don't have as many complete games because they are under a strict system that requires a set-up man and closer, but I say HOGWASH! I don't care how stubborn managers are in their systems. If an all-star pitcher wants to pitch the entire game, then he has the power to persuade the manager to keep him in there. Some fight it, but they don't fight it hard enough. If they REALLY wanted to stay out there for the whole game, then they could, so don't give me that "cry me a river" excuse about being stuck under a system.

So come on, people! Show Roy Halladay some love! He has been the most dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball during the past five seasons! Case closed!