One man's theory on Halladay's dehydration
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One man's theory on Halladay's dehydration
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
CHICAGO -- Charlie Manuel spoke in hyperbole at first, saying he had seen baseball played in 125- or 130-degree weather. Then he noted a game earlier this season.
"We played in Washington earlier this year, and he pitched, and it was maybe hotter there," Manuel said. "The humidity might have been a little worse today, but it was 103 there."
Actually, it was 92 degrees at first pitch May 30, the day Roy Halladay grinded seven innings against the Nationals in stifling D.C. heat. That game was played during the day and it was especially hot. During the game, Halladay ran back to the Phillies clubhouse to completely change his uniform because it was so drenched in sweat.
"I don't know what helps when it gets that hot," Halladay said that day.
He is a meticulous worker, lauded for his routine and intense workouts. Halladay has often said he wants game day to be his easiest day. That's what the routine ensures: No surprises.
That made Monday at Wrigley Field all the more shocking. As Rich Dubee aptly summarized the evening, "He's the last guy you'd expect something like this to happen."
Then, unprompted, Dubee discussed a theory of his.
"I'm not making excuses but I've said it before, guys who go to the All-Star Game, they come back a little drained," Dubee said. "It's a busy three days. You look at [Mets outfielder Carlos] Beltran now with the flu. Doc tonight. That first week back the guys don't generally respond too well. It's a hectic schedule. You fly into another time zone, you have banquets, and there's a lot to it.
"This guy takes tremendous care of himself."
That is why Dubee, possibly, is searching for something to pinpoint the dehydration. It's not an implausible theory. Check out Halladay's pitching lines in his first start back from the All-Star break over the past five seasons:
2007 at BOS: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 122 PIT
2008 at TB: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 96 PIT
2009 vs. BOS: 9 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 105 PIT
2010 at CHC: 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 87 PIT
2011 at CHC: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 69 PIT
There's one very good start in there, a complete game against Boston in 2009 -- which just so happens to be the other season Halladay started the All-Star Game. No, there's not enough for causation here, but it's an interesting theory nonetheless.
Dubee was wary of Halladay and his other aces pitching in the All-Star Game because he viewed this as a time for the heavily used arms to rest. He slotted Halladay and Cliff Lee at the back of the rotation in the second half to allow for an extra day.
Because of that, both Halladay and Lee will not face the San Francisco Giants when they arrive at Citizens Bank Park next week for an NLCS rematch. (Somewhere, Bruce Bochy cackles.) Dubee said even before Halladay's abbreviated night he planned on utilizing Thursday's off day for another breather. Every pitcher will start on an extra day of rest.
It didn't help Halladay on Monday. But nothing, not even his grueling workout or dedicated planning, could keep him on the mound at Wrigley.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
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I'm guessing Halladay was under the weather. I have a really bad cold right now and I can't even walk up the street in this heat without feeling awful. If he's got what I've got, it's impressive that he pitched as long as he did.— pokey1228- He wasn't the only one playing in it...— Philly Fan in Kuwait
- My goodness, the sky is falling! Roy Halladay is actually human!Too bad the damned feeble offense again failed to come thru. Hey Chollie when is it gonna be HOT enough for it to be "hittin' weather?"— DONDEN31
- The offense didn't help but not taking any deep counts. Raul failed when he swung at the first pitch after Doc threw 30 pitches. At least Chase had to tie his shoe laces between pitches.— palmyra21
- No, this is not one man's theory. It is one clowns nonsensical speculation. At the best, one should call this sort speculation HYPOTHESIS! The term, THEORY, is a scientific one, and is what would, in common parlance be called a fact. It is a term that should never be used for idle and baselessly blithering speculation. Actually, RD probably has a finger on it, and the All Star game is always a joke, at best.— BEMiller
- While I think the all-star hoopla theory does have some merit, he was also getting squeezed on some pitches which made him frustrated during that 30+ pitch inning, and only added to the overall misery from the heat.— rdparlow
- As long as he didn't get a case of turf toe too. Then it'd be a true disaster.— cupajoe
- There was probably more than just heat that caused Roy Halladay to leave the game early last night. The rest of the Phils stayed on the field the entire night, and very few of them are in the kind of superb shape that Halladay stays in all year long. Halladay could have very easily picked up a virus somewhere in his many travels over the past week. A virus kept Carlos Beltran out of the lineup a few games last week, and even athletes in excellent physical condition are not immune to viruses that can cause many of the same symptoms of heat exhaustion, or combine with heat exposure to incapacitate an individual. Halladay leads a very regimented life, and breaks in one's everyday schedule, like the break Halladay just experienced during the all-star break, can predispose one to illnesses. At the end of the day, Roy Halladay is only human. Fortunately for the Phils, he forgets that most of the days he pitches. Get well, Roy.— onthebucks
- Roy is human, and he definitely over cooked himself getting ready for that game..From the get go his pitches were not divng and slicing like normal, and once the heat stroke sets in, there's no escaping...as far as the offense, they made Ridrigo look like Tom Seaver.— bearsfriend
- Anytime a sentence starts with "I'm not making excuses but...", an excuse inevitibly follows. It's very simple, he wasn't properly hydrated. I worked on the roof during the 90s and if I didn't have to urinate every hour or two then I knew I needed to guzzle a half gallon of water until I did.— oot
- He's human. And we've lost a whopping one in a row.— eman
- It's not the work IN the all star game that disrupts a pitcher's routines and rhythm. It's just going. Fly to Arizona on Monday, fly back on Wednesday. Banquets etc. A lot of the AS game pitchers struggled in their first game back. Personally I think they should have the all star game to kick off the season, with selections based on the prior year's performance. Then just give players a three day vacation at mid year. Or just have pitchers like Halladay be honest with himself and just say he's too gassed to go to these meaningless exhibitions. There was method to Dubee's madness. He knew Doc needed a rest. With the way Utley and Howard are hitting, Polanco and Victorino out, there's little room for error now.— retzlaff
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With our current bullpen, I cringe every time the starting pitcher exits early.- The offense, once again, sputtered against a team we're supposed to win games against. Hope Halladay's feeling better... I thought he looked labored at the start of the game and you knew it was bad once he took his undershirt off!— TerryW
