Blue Jays: Combining generations for an all-time pitching staff

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Toronto Blue Jays’ starting pitcher Roger Clemens, who gave up nine runs to the New York Yankees the last time they played, gave up three hits and one run through seven innings at Yankee Stadium in New York 27 April. AFP PHOTO Henny Ray ABRAMS (Photo by HENNY RAY ABRAMS / AFP) (Photo by HENNY RAY ABRAMS/AFP via Getty Images) /

A Pair Of Aces

1- Roy Halladay
2003 Stats: 22-7, 3.25 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 204 K, 266 IP, 8.1 bWAR

There arguably may have been better individual seasons from Blue Jays pitchers, but no one else has made a bigger impact on the mound in Toronto than Roy Halladay.

The Hall of Famer was at his best in 2003 when he picked up the AL Cy Young Award, an honour he likely should have had more than once during his tenure in the American League with the Blue Jays. We could have easily used his 2008 campaign or others as well, as he was a dominant force in Toronto for parts of 12 seasons.

2- Roger Clemens
1997 Stats: 21-7, 2.05 ERA, 1.030 WHIP, 292 K, 264 IP, 11.9 bWAR

When I mentioned above that there were better individual seasons to look at, I mostly had Clemens in mind with that statement.

He was only in a Blue Jays uniform for two seasons, but no pitcher has ever made a bigger impact in such a short time. He won the Cy Young award in both 1997 and 1998, and earned an incredible 20.0 bWAR during that time as a Blue Jay. He also struck out a remarkable 563 batters over those two seasons, all of this after the Red Sox thought he was done with the peak of his career. It didn’t last long and ended with a trade to the Yankees, but the Red Sox miscalculation was the Blue Jays’ gain for two magical seasons.

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