Edgar Martinez’s touching tribute to fellow Hall inductee Roy Halladay

Making the National Baseball Hall of Fame is the highlight of any major league career, but once in a great while it is bittersweet.

That was the case Tuesday night as the late Roy Halladay was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility. He died Nov. 7, 2017, when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Clearwater, Fla.

Edgar Martinez, who was elected in his final year of eligibility, recognized what a difficult time it is for Halladay’s family. Halladay died at the age of 40 and left behind a wife and two sons.

“The other day I was thinking how sad it was for his family that he is not around to be with his family and enjoy this great moment,’’ Martinez said on a conference call. “It was kind of sad to think about it, but you know, your family this will be a moment that his family is very proud of him and remember him and honor him. It’s kind of bittersweet and these next few months will be kind of bittersweet.’’

Said Mike Mussina of going into the Hall in the same class as Halladay: “To have pitched against Doc and see how he pitched, how he carried himself out there, it’s just a tremendous honor for me.’’

Halladay’s widow, Brandy, released a statement, saying: “If only Roy were here to personally express his gratitude for this honor, what an even more amazing day this would be. I would like to extend special thanks to the baseball writers for the overwhelming percentage of votes that Roy received in his first year on the ballot. It means so much to me, Braden and Ryan.”

Halladay was a two-time Cy Young winner who pitched a perfect game and also a playoff no-hitter. After a terrible start with Toronto, he went down to the minor leagues, lowered his arm angle and became a star with the Blue Jays and Phillies. He finished with a 203-105 lifetime record with a 3.38 ERA and 67 complete games. Over one stretch of 11 seasons Halladay was incredible, winning 175 games with only 78 losses and a 2.98 ERA.

“His fastball had good movement and he had a great breaking ball,” Martinez said. “It was always a tough at-bat.’’

This is also the summer of the DH at the Hall with Harold Baines, a selection last month by the Hall’s Today’s Game Era committee, and Martinez getting inducted. Martinez finished with 2,247 hits, 309 home runs and a .312 batting average for the Mariners. He was an on-base machine with a lifetime .418 OBP.

“Some of the sabermetrics really helped,” Martinez said.

For years the Seattle fan base has pushed hard for his induction and Martinez was quick to recognize them on Twitter, writing: “Thank you to the @Mariners and all the fans who have supported me through my career and HOF candidacy for the last ten years. I’m humbled by the overwhelming support and feel so blessed. Thank you!’’

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