The Atlantic

Remembering Roy Halladay, Baseball’s Steady Marvel

Few pitchers were more committed to the daily work of the sport—and more present in the moment—than the eight-time All-Star who died at age 40.
Source: Mark Blinch / Reuters

Because of its uniquely frustrating nature, and because it is played every day, no game is better than baseball at displaying persistence—the willingness to try a difficult task again and again. Roy Halladay, who died Tuesday afternoon at the age of 40 when his single-engine plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, was perhaps the most persistent player of his era.

In sum, Halladay’s career looks like that of a born savant: 203 wins against 105 losses, a 3.38 earned run average

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