Roy Halladay has been one of the best, most consistent pitchers in the majors over the past 8 seasons.
But he may have to be on his best game in order to fill the expectations of the fans and the front office of the Phillies.
Over the best few seasons, a number of “Ace” pitchers have come over from the American League to the National League. All of them have had great success.
C.C. Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Johan Santana went 16-7 with a 2.54 ERA during his first season with the Mets.
Cliff Lee gave up 2 runs in his first 31 innings with the Phillies.
Reuben Amaro invested a lot of money and has taken some considerable heat in trading for Roy Halladay. He is hoping Halladay can mirror the success other AL pitchers have had.
Halladay will have to have an ERA under 2 in the postseason just to match what Lee did.
If Halladay comes out of the gate and starts slow, or has a season not comparable to the ones Sabathia, Santana or Lee had, the backlash will start almost immediately.
If Lee continues his superb pitching with the Mariners it will be even louder.
Halladay will be under great pressure to perform almost flawlessly to live up to the large expectations.
