Roy Halladay makes 1st rehab start after shoulder surgery

Aug 1, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay (34) watches the game from the dugout railing during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. The Giants defeated the Phillies 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

For the first time since May 5th, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay pitched in a real, live baseball game on Thursday.

Halladay threw 6 innings in his first rehab start following shoulder surgery, and while the results were mixed, they weren’t dreadful. The right-hander gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits (with 3 walks) against weak competition in the Gulf Coast League, but it was certainly a positive to see him on the mound.

Before he went under the knife in May, Halladay was struggling to, by far, the worst season of his career. It isn’t often that you see a potential Hall-of-Fame pitcher post an 8.65 ERA with a 4.46 BB/9 walk rate over 7 starts, but that is the exact predicament that the 36-year-old found himself in before succumbing to surgery.

With Philadelphia firmly out of the race at 20.5 games out in the NL East (with a record of 53-67), Halladay isn’t exactly pushing to return in hopes of helping a playoff push. However, he isn’t getting any younger, and he clearly wants to present the fact that he isn’t “done”, as many experts have predicted following the surgery.

It will likely be weeks and months before anyone knows whether Roy Halladay will ever be “Roy Halladay” again, but pitching in real game situations is the first step of many.

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