The Major League Baseball Draft's later rounds are often forgotten by the next day, but Wednesday's draft turned up a truly great moment for baseball fans in Philadelphia, Toronto, and everywhere.
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The Blue Jays used the 957th pick of the draft to select Braden Halladay, son of the late Phillies and Jays pitcher Roy Halladay. Halladay's son, a right-handed pitcher, is committed to play baseball at Penn State starting this fall:
Heading into Wednesday's slew of draft picks, many wondered if the Jays would honor Halladay, who died in November 2017, by picking his son.
Toronto's decision is even cooler when you consider Halladay was selected in the 32nd round, and his father wore the No. 32 jersey when he played for the Jays. Halladay later wore No. 34 when he played for the Phillies. Good stuff, Toronto.
Halladay tweeted a statement Wednesday evening thanking the team for selecting him:
Unsurprisingly, the internet writ large also enjoyed the pick:
Last March, just five months after his father died, Halladay pitched a perfect inning against the Blue Jays in an exhibition as a member of the Canadian Junior National Team. Blue Jays fans gave him a standing ovation:
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This past January, Halladay's father was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his standout career with the Jays and Phillies. He will be posthumously inducted in Cooperstown, New York, on July 21.
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