Lack Of Support Keeps Halladay From 17th Win
Posted August 26, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
For Roy Halladay to earn his second Cy Young Award at the conclusion of the 2006 season, he’ll need a little help from his teammates.
On Saturday the Blue Jays ace righty threw a gem, one that was wasted in a 2-0 loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals.
Halladay (16-4) made just two mistakes on the afternoon, but paid for both as his club dropped their fifth game in the last eight in front of a crowd of 38,070 at the Rogers Centre.
The damage came in the form of solo big flies from Mark Teahen in the first and Ryan Shealy in the second.
Other than those the man they call “Doc” dominated, retiring 12 in a row at one point and allowing just two hits and a walk in his final seven innings.
Meanwhile, Royals starter Runelvys Hernandez (4-8), who came into the game with an ERA of 7.50 was uncharacteristically strong, going all nine innings while holding the Jays to no runs on seven hits.
Toronto looked like they’d get to Hernandez in the first when Reed Johnson and Frank Catalanotto opened with singles, but after Johnson was thrown out trying to steal third, the rally stalled and the pace couldn’t be recaptured.
Not that his team’s unexpected success did anything to calm manager Buddy Bell. Umpire Joe West tossed the Royals bench boss in the fifth inning, marking the sixth time he’s been ejected this season.
But the game also marked an important day for Toronto off the field. Police Chief Bill Blair threw out the first pitch as local police, the RCMP and OPP teamed with the Blue Jays on a promotion called Gun Play, No Way, in which kids who brought in a toy gun were able to exchange it for a pair of tickets.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s finale, the Jays will send Ted Lilly (10-11) to the hill for his first start since his flare up with manager John Gibbons, against perennial underachiever Odalis Perez (5-5).
