Roy Halladay pitched himself into an 8th inning jam Friday against the Orioles, coming close to blowing a late four run lead. Manager Cito Gaston decided to keep his workhorse in the game to shut the door on Baltimore, and the trust displayed in the Blue Jays ace paid dividends.
After tossing well over 100 pitches, and having already coughed up a pair of runs to cut the lead in half, the 2003 CY Young award winner faced a difficult situation. With runners on the corners and two out, Gaston came out to have a talk with the former 22 game winner to see if he wanted to continue. Cito elected to stick with his starter, and it paid off as Halladay induced an inning ending fielder's choice off the bat of Ty Wigginton.
Gaston, the Manager of Toronto's 1992 and 1993 World Champion ball clubs, has a knack for showing confidence with his players in critical situations. With the game hanging in the balance Friday against the Orioles, the decision to stick with Halladay produced the desirable outcome.
With the victory, Halladay is off to the fastest start in his 12 year major league career, posting five wins in his first six trips to the hill.
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