Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay: The "Doc" Gets It Done by the Numbers

When the Phillies bullpen is depleted by injury and over use, who you gonna call?

When the Phillies offense is having more trouble scoring than LeBron James, who you gonna call?

When the team is in danger of losing their second straight series in Interleague play, who you gonna call?

The "Doc" of course.  Roy Halladay took to the mound yesterday in front of another sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park and did what he does best.  And as is often the case with Halladay, he made sure to finish what he started.

For the full story of the game and the "Doc's" season so far, let's break down the numbers.

Philadelphia Phillies Roy Halladay: "Doc" Gets It Done by the Numbers

It took Halladay just 2 hours and 14 minutes to notch his league-tying tenth win of the season.  (Ties him with Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens)

He threw 113 pitches, 77 of them for strikes.

He gave up eight hits but five of them were either bloopers or singles that didn't leave the infield.

He had four strikeouts and zero walks.  He said later that right now he's more concerned with getting outs than strikeouts because that keeps his pitch count down, allowing him to go deeper into games.  

On that note, he had ten or fewer pitches in three of his nine innings yesterday.

Halladay End of Game

Halladay is 10-3 this season.  

His 2.40 ERA is second in the majors as is his 123 strikeouts.

He leads the league in innings pitched with 127 1/3.

In eight of his last 17 starts, he has allowed one or fewer runs and the Phillies have won seven of those games.  (In fact, Halladay could easily have a couple more wins if the Phillies offense was performing as it should.)

With this kind of consistency, it would be easy for his teammates to take him for granted.  But that is not the case:

"It's always fun to watch him pitch," said Phils slugger Ryan Howard.  "I kind of feel like every time I watch him pitch, it's like watching him pitch for the first time."

Well said, Ryan.

Roy Halladay in Dugout

Perhaps the most important stat for a pitcher is how many games his team wins when he's on the mound.  

The Phillies have won eight straight Halladay starts.  He is 5-0 with a 2.64 ERA during that stretch. 

They are 14-3 this season when he is on the mound.

And those playing behind him expect to win, too.  Just ask shortstop Jimmy Rollins who supported Halladay's efforts yeserday with a 4-4 performance:

"That's a game you're not supposed to lose.  You find a way to get it done.  It shows, when he steps on the mound, it's a different presence out there."

Roy Halladay Pitching

And looking beyond this year, Roy Halladay's career numbers are even more impressive.

He has 63 career complete games and has led the league in that category for six of the last eight seasons. 

In the last 50 years, only one other pitcher has more wins than Halladay in his first 50 starts after changing teams. (Pedro Martinez.)

Halladay's 31-13 record over those 50 games gives him as many wins as Phillies' legend Steve "Lefty" Carlton but with one fewer loss.

In short, he is one of those rare athletes who has lived up to the hype.

Roy with Teammates

He goes about his business on the mound with quiet efficiency.  He is intense, disciplined, and focused. He makes every pitch count and there is little wasted time or effort.

When his team needs a win, he wants to take the ball.  And he wants to stay on the mound until the final out.

Some say watching Roy Halladay pitch is like watching a world-class surgeon operate.

We just call him "the Doc."