40 year old Harry Leroy Halladay III, known to baseball fans as Roy or Doc, died today when the plane he was piloting crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Pasco County. His career spanned impressive stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies that included a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter. You can read more about him and his career here.
Halladay had more than a few connections to the Tampa Bay area. His major league debut, on September 20, 1998, was at Tropicana Field against the-then Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
He made his home in the area, living in Tarpon Springs with his wife and two sons.