Major League Baseball

Halladay's one regret about Toronto: no postseason

Published Jun. 26, 2010 7:59 p.m. ET

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There's just one thing Roy Halladay would change about his 12 seasons in Toronto.

``My only regret is we never won a playoff game or World Series game,'' the Philadelphia Phillies ace said Saturday, a day after pitching seven sharp innings to beat his former team 9-0. ``I loved every minute of being up there and that was the only thing that would've finished it off for me, to be able to get to the next level.''

Dealt to Philadelphia last offseason in a blockbuster trade, Halladay has adjusted nicely to his new team. Despite some surprisingly low run support, he is 9-6 with a 2.29 ERA while leading the majors in innings (122) and complete games (five). He also has allowed the fewest walks per nine innings (1.3) in the NL and his ERA ranks fourth in the league.

``It's kind of been a new chapter for me here,'' Halladay said.

The right-hander hopes the ending will include his first trip to the postseason, and he said the desire of his Phillies teammates, particularly Chase Utley, has been the biggest eye opener in Philadelphia.

``The part that surprised me the most is the preparation of the players,'' Halladay said, referring specifically to Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins. ``The attitude they play with, the time they put in. ... They're obviously very talented players, but I don't think you anticipate how much they want to win and how well they prepare.''

Halladay went on to praise Utley, calling him the ``Derek Jeter of the National League.''

``His preparation and desire is second to none,'' Halladay said. ``I don't know how you'd ever teach that or if it's something you're born with. You get one guy like that, or a couple of guys who are pretty good, and a lot of that carries over. He's a special player.''

The Phillies likely would say the same about Halladay, who threw a perfect game against Florida on May 29 and has been dominant for stretches throughout the season. It's no surprise, considering Halladay went 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA in 12 seasons with the Blue Jays that included two 20-win seasons, six All-Star appearances and the 2003 AL Cy Young Award when he went 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA.

And when it was time to face his former teammates Friday night, Halladay didn't depart from his rigorous routine.

``You have to focus on the job at hand and what you're going to do and not your feelings,'' he said. ``You really can't have feelings while you're out there. You almost have to think of yourself as a robot.''

Halladay shut down his former team, allowing six hits while striking out four and walking one. In a strange twist, the series was moved from Toronto to Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit. But the Blue Jays wore white and batted second.

Halladay said the shift in site made it easier for him.

``From a baseball standpoint, I think it's easier being here,'' he said. ``It's more of a normal routine. From a personal standpoint, yeah, it would have been nice to go back.''

The right-hander did say hello to some of his former teammates, but acknowledged that his focus is on this season.

``I talked to some of the coaches and one or two of the players,'' he said. ``It's fun to see those guys. Obviously, they're guys I spent a lot of time with, so it's nice to be able to say hi to them. You obviously never lose those friendships, but during the season there's so much going on on both sides. Things change, people change.''

Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill isn't surprised by Halladay's success in Philadelphia.

``Roy is Roy,'' Hill, who went 1 for 3 against Halladay, said Friday. ``He doesn't surprise me with anything. He's been doing it for a while.''

Prior to Friday's win, Halladay had lost three straight starts, giving up a season-high 11 hits in Sunday's 4-1 loss to Minnesota in a game in which he also struck out eight and walked none. In his last two starts before Friday, the right-hander had yielded 10 runs (nine earned) and 19 hits, including five homers, in 14 innings.

But he turned it around against the Blue Jays, and got some run support for a change. Philadelphia has totaled nine runs in Halladay's six losses. He was glad to receive some offense against Toronto.

``When you get a decent lead you can pitch to contact, be aggressive and not be so cautious,'' Halladay said Friday. ``It definitely helps.''

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