New Roy Halladay Field in Toronto dedicated in honour of Blue Jays legend

The City of Toronto has honoured the late Roy Halladay in a special way. The Blue Jays’ legendary ace now has a new accessible baseball diamond in his name — the city’s first of its kind.

Roy Halladay Field opened on Wednesday, July 13 at Highview Park in Scarborough with a formal ceremony and ribbon cutting that involved the Halladay family.

You might also like:
• Derek Jeter says Roy Halladay was the toughest pitcher he ever faced
• Blue Jays' Roy Halladay was the most dominant pitcher of his era

Over 150 guests were present, including Toronto Mayor John Tory, Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro, and Jays Care Foundation Executive Director Robert Witchell.

Jays Care Foundation

The accessible diamond initiative was made possible by Jays Care Foundation which put forth a $1 million dollar capital infrastructure grant. The idea is to provide a safe space and platform for athletes of all abilities, with the opportunity to not only develop baseball skills, but important life skills.

Athletes involved in the Jays Care Challenger Program will have access to the field. The adaptive baseball program is for Canada’s youth who live with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. With accessibility being the focal point, the athletes are in for a well-deserved treat.

Jays Care Foundation

“I’m just so, so excited it’s here in Toronto for all of these kids and adults to use for years to come,” Brandy Halladay, the late “Doc” Halladay’s wife, told reporters at the official ribbon-cutting.

Brandy Halladay poses with child at the park./Jays Care Foundation

Halladay was 148-76 with an ERA of 3.43, 1,495 strikeouts in 313 appearances for the Blue Jays in his career over the course of 12 seasons. He was killed in a plane crash in November 2017 while piloting his personal plane.