When this Blue Jays rookie, and future Hall of Famer took September by storm

"Rosters expand in September, allowing teams to call up players, some of whom will be getting their first taste of Major League action. Recently, MLB.com listed the best September call ups in each teams history and for the Blue Jays they landed on a player who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career. It was only a two-game appearance at the end of 1998, but it was two-games that showcased the flashes of greatness that was to come for the late-great, Roy Halladay."

"Drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round (No. 17 overall) in 1995, Halladay came up to the big leagues for the first time as a 21-year-old to pitch in game 157 of the season for a Toronto team that was putting the finishing touches on their first winning season since the 1993 World Series. They were a good team, and tied the Texas Rangers with the fourth best record in the AL, but it was a time with only one Wild Card spot and so there was no postseason berth for the 88-74 Blue Jays this season, which allowed Halladay to come up and pitch with virtually no pressure on his shoulders, other than the fact that he was now in the big leagues."

"In his first outing, the Denver, Colorado native got to face the Devil Rays in Tampa Bay. Halladay faced an expansion Rays lineup that included future Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff. Halladay struck out the first batter he ever faced, getting Randy Winn to strikeout swinging. He didn't give up a run until the bottom of the third, when former Blue Jay McGriff singled home a run with a line drive in to center field."

September roster expansion allowed the Blue Jays to call up 21-year-old Roy Halladay for two late-season games in 1998. Halladay had been drafted in the first round (No. 17 overall) in 1995 and debuted in game 157 during a season in which Toronto finished 88-74 and missed the postseason. Halladay’s first outing came against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, where he struck out the first batter he faced, gave up a run on a Fred McGriff single in the third, and then surrendered a two-run homer the following inning to Rich Butler.

Read at Jays Journal