MMV #036: From the Worst ERA in MLB History to a Hall of Famer - Roy Halladay

Grady’s Pitching School offers high-quality pitching training products. 

Click here to order their plyo weighted ball training set, which includes 6 balls and a carrying case.

Need plyos with realistic feeling seams? Their seamed plyos are available here for a special price of $54.95.

Team pricing is available for as low as $40.00 per set.

Please email [email protected] for team pricing. 

Read time: 3 minutes

Everyone knows the brilliance that was Roy Halladay.

• 200 wins
• 2x Cy Young Award Winner
• 8x All-Star
• First Ballot Hall of Famer

But did you know that he holds the record for the worst ERA in a single season in MLB history?

It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows.

Halladay was a 1st round pick in the 1995 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

After dominating the minor leagues, he made his MLB debut at the ripe age of 21 on September 20th, 1998.

After a stellar rookie season in 1999, winning 8 games with a 3.92 ERA over 149 innings, things went south quickly.

In 2000, Halladay posted a 10.64 ERA in 67.2 innings.

This is still the worst ERA in single season history for a pitcher that threw at least 60 innings.

He performed so poorly that the Blue Jays sent him all the way down to Single A to start the 2001 season.

The initial idea was to have pitching coach Mel Queen fix him enough so they could trade him.

What ended up happening changed his entire career.

Queen lowers his slot to 3/4’s and taught him what became known as Halladay’s signature, sinker and cutter combo.

Over 70 innings across A+, AA, AAA Halladay posted a 2.93 ERA with only 9 walks!

He was back in the Blue Jays rotation for the 2nd half of the season, finishing 2001 with a 3.16 ERA, 25 BB’s, and 96 K’s over 105 innings.

Halladay was back.

He’d go on to win his first Cy Young award just 2 years later and be one of the best pitchers in baseball for the next 10 years.

Before Halladay turned things around in the minors, he had to regain his confidence.

His wife Brandy remembers him saying, “I would jump out the window, but with my luck I would only break my leg, and I'd still have to go back out on the mound.”

Brandy went to a book store a found a book called, “The ABC’s of Pitching”.

This book helped bring his focus to the things he had control over. Executing one pitch at a time. He ended up working with the author, Harvey Dorfman.

The ongoing relationship with him took his game to another level.

Halladay was known for his relentless work ethic and determination to be the best he could be.

Most would have thrown in the towel, but not Doc.

His story is an example of never giving up. When you get knocked down, get back up.

And know that you likely can’t do it on your own.

Roy needed his family, coaches, and a sport psychologist.

Although Halladay tragically passed away in 2017, his legacy lives on.

I hope this story inspires you to keep going.

Get after it today.

If you’d like to read a Sports Illustrated article on this story from 2010, click here.

That's all for today.

See you next week!

Whenever you're ready, there is 1 way we can help you:

Remote Training: a personalized training plan to help you reach your goals on the mound.

How it works:

• Video yourself performing our 3-part assessment (movement, strength, pitching)
• Receive first block (4 weeks) of your program
  • Mobility and warm up routine
  • Throwing plan for each day with drills and bullpen plans
  • Lifting and cardio plan
  • Basic nutrition plan
• Weekly communication with us
  • Text and phone calls to give feedback on video of drills and exercises
• Receive updated plan every 4 weeks
• 6 month commitment (24 weeks) at $500/month

Click here to apply.