News
Halladay to make final start of '09
Toronto (74-84) at Boston (91-66), 7:10 p.m. ET
By John Barone / MLB.com
09/30/09 2:41 AM ET
BOSTON -- For all the uncertainty surrounding Roy Halladay's future in Toronto, the following is assured: on Wednesday night, he will make his final start for the Blue Jays -- this season, that is.The trade rumors that followed the ace right-hander for most of the summer figure to resurface once again this offseason. Until then, Halladay will aim to put an exclamation point on a fine 2009 campaign by beating the Red Sox in Wednesday's series finale at Fenway Park.
Despite spotty run support from an inconsistent Toronto offense this season, the 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner recorded 16 victories for the fourth consecutive season, the first AL pitcher to do so since David Wells from 1997-2000.
"Doc's had a great year, especially when you look at some of the things that he went through [before the Trade Deadline]," manager Cito Gaston said of Halladay, who is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. "He's pitched for a club that scored some runs for him at the start of the season, and in the middle part of the season, we weren't scoring a lot of runs. He didn't have a lot of run support.
"Overall, he had a great year."
Should the Jays part ways with the six-time All-Star this winter, Halladay will have closed out his 12-year Toronto tenure on a soaring high note. Following a tough August in which he went 2-4 with a 4.71 ERA, the 32-year-old has a 1.80 ERA in five starts this month -- the most recent of which was a complete-game nine-strikeout performance against the Mariners last Friday at Rogers Centre.
For the time being, Halladay has adopted the mind-set that he will remain a Blue Jay through the end of his contract. As far as alternative options, he'd rather not speculate.
"I haven't put a lot of thought into it," Halladay said. "I have another year. That's where it stands right now, and that's the way I look at it."
Pitching matchupTOR: RHP Roy Halladay (16-10, 2.90 ERA)
Halladay leads the Majors with eight complete games this season and has recorded a career-best three shutouts in 2009. In three starts against the Red Sox this year, he is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA. BOS: RHP Tim Wakefield (11-4, 4.33 ERA)
Wakefield continues to gut it out despite a lower back injury that will require surgery as soon as his season is over. Wednesday marks the veteran knuckleballer's fourth appearance since the All-Star break, as the Red Sox have opted to space out Wakefield's outings to allow his back time to recover. The 43-year-old right-hander will make Wednesday's start on eight days' rest. He struggled to command his knuckleball under steady rain last Monday in Kansas City, yielding five runs (four earned) on five hits and seven walks over five innings. In 10 appearances at Fenway Park this season, Wakefield is 7-0 with a 3.65 ERA. Bird feed
Second baseman Aaron Hill and designated hitter/left fielder Adam Lind are the first pair of Blue Jays teammates with at least 35 home runs in the same season since Carlos Delgado and Tony Batista had 41 roundtrippers apiece in 2000. ... Toronto has hit 31 long balls in its past 18 games. ... Seven of right fielder Jose Bautista's 10 homers this year have come in September. Tickets
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• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Blue Jays (David Purcey, 1-2, 5.28) at Orioles (Jason Berken, 5-12, 6.51), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Blue Jays (Brian Tallet, 7-9, 5.32) ) at Orioles (Mark Hendrickson, 5-5, 4.38), 7:05 p.m. ET
John Barone is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
