Playing against the Canadian National Junior Team in a spring training game on Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays faced off against pitcher Braden Halladay, son of the late former Jays ace Roy Halladay. For attendees in Dunedin, where the elder Halladay once played for the Jays’ minor league affiliate, it was a special moment to see his son take the mound:
Pitching for Baseball Canada's U18 team, Braden Halladay threw a perfect frame in the eighth inning, getting clean outs against batters Mc Gregory Contreras, Mattingly Romanin and Bo Bichette.
The Jays ended up with a 11-3 win, in a game that saw pitcher Marcus Stroman start for the first time in spring training. After the game, Stroman offered his support for Jays prospects Bichette and Vlad Guerrero to join the team proper, and also tweeted enthusiasm for Halladay:
The Jays will retire Roy Halladay’s number 32 jersey on Opening Day, celebrating the pitcher who tragically passed in a plane crash last November.
