March 06, 2017

Roy Halladay rejoining Phillies ... and the people of Twitter rejoice!

By Ryan Lawrence
PhillyVoice Contributor

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Roy Halladay will be back in a Phillies uniform on Tuesday at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Fla. No, the 39-year-old right-hander will not be making a comeback – he will return to the organization as guest spring training instructor.

Halladay joins the illustrious group of Mike Schmidt, Charlie Manuel, Brad Lidge, Larry Andersen, Chad Durbin … and Wes Helms as former Phillies players who have or are scheduled to work in Camp Clearwater this spring.

Halladay retired from baseball in January of 2013 after his fourth season with the Phillies. In his first season in Philadelphia, in 2010, Halladay won 21 games, threw a perfect game, pitched the second postseason no-hitter in baseball history, and won the National League Cy Young Award.

Halladay worked as a guest instructor in Phillies camp in 2014, his first spring after retirement, but has not been back in uniform since. A student of the mental side of the game, Halladay has expressed interest in the past about pursuing a job in baseball at some point during his post-playing career.

Perhaps Halladay, who lives in nearby Oldsmar, Fla., will become more of a permanent fixture within the Phillies organization again beyond this spring.

Despite not being a part of the Phillies 2008 World Championship team, Halladay was one of the most beloved members of the golden era of Philadelphia baseball (from 2007-2011). That’ll happen when you pitch perfect games and postseason no-hitters, of course.

But Twitter reacted just as you’d expect when the Phillies made the announcement this afternoon that Halladay would be back in their uniform on Tuesday.