PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The energy at Citizens Bank Park this past weekend brought back memories of the Phillies' golden age a decade ago. The Phils not only swept the Mets to jump into first place of a very winnable National League East; they also capped it off with a brilliant pitching performance on the day they honored one the all-time great pitchers.
"Today was his day and, you know, I just tried to pitch like him," 31-year-old Zack Wheeler said of the late, great Roy Halladay after tossing a two-hit complete game 3-0 shutout on the day the ballclub officially retired Halladay's No. 34.
The 108-pitch dissection of Wheeler's old team was reminiscent of Halladay's performance. He died in a plane crash almost four years ago. Wheeler went the distance, like Doc did so many times. He also retired 22 batters in a row — the first Phillie to do that since Halladay's perfect game in 2010.
This was the Phillies' eighth win in a row — their longest streak in a decade when they won nine straight in the summer of 2011. Who started that win streak then? It was Halladay.
And in a fitting tribute of numbers — Sunday was Wheeler's 34th start as a Phillie.
"You try to go out there and throw a complete game every time. No matter what," Wheeler said. "And, like I said, it just happened to be on Roy's day, and that gave me a little push, and — you know — I saw his number back there on the back of the mound every time, so it pushed me a little bit more."
Phillies manager Joe Girardi — who used to face Halladay a lot when he managed the Yankees against the Toronto Blue Jays — became emotional talking about what he had just witnessed from Wheeler.
"On a day that you honor one of the greatest pitchers that I've witnessed pitched, he goes out and it was like Roy had his hand on him," Girardi said. "He gives a Roy Halladay appearance today."
Prior to the game, the Phils held a moving ceremony to retire Halladay's number, which he wore for four seasons in Philadelphia, two of which were dominant — his Cy Young season in 2010 and his 19-win campaign in 2011.
With former teammates, including Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz in attendance, as well as legendary manager Charlie Manuel, former pitching coach Rich Dubee and ex-general manager Rubén Amaro Jr., fellow former Phil Raúl Ibañez gave a beautiful speech about Halladay.
Ibañez recalled Halladay's stare and "fire-breathing dragon" presence. He told a story about facing Halladay in the American League. He tried to speak with then-Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun during an at-bat. Zaun later told Ibañez, "We're never talking on Doc's day again. Ever" — a testament to Halladay's no-nonsense competitiveness. He also recalled how Manuel would be afraid to take Halladay out of game.
"I learned firsthand that Roy was the most prepared, disciplined, detailed, diligent, focused, fiercest and hardest working machine of consistency on the planet," Ibañez said.
"Roy loved the game of baseball. Roy loved his craft, but not nearly as much as he loved his wife, Brandy, and his boys, Braden and Ryan. You could always count on Roy's face to light up when he talked about them."
Ibañez shared that Brandy and Halladay's children weren't able to attend Sunday's ceremony because a family member tested positive for COVID-19. But, he said, they were tuning in through a livestream of the ceremony.
"Brandy asked me to pass along her sincerest appreciation to [managing partner] John Middleton and the Phillies for bestowing Roy with the club's highest honor by retiring his number," Ibañez said. "She said Philly will always be their home away from home."
Following Ibañez's speech, Ruiz and Middleton unveiled a No. 34 statue at the Third Base Gate, with both kissing their hand and touching the numbers.
Lastly, another great Phillies pitcher — Steve Carlton — unveiled Halladay's 34 on the brick display on the porch above Ashburn Alley — in between Carlton's 32 and the late Robin Roberts' 36.
In the end, Alumni Weekend 2021 at Citizens Bank Park included three moving ceremonies. The first honored the Phils' late, great former President and Chief Executive Officer David Montgomery on Friday. The second was Manny Trillo Wall of Fame Night Saturday. Halladay's concluded the weekend.
And to top it all off, the Phillies upped their winning streak to eight. They now sit in first place of the National League East to begin the week.