On the second day of the Jays' recent homestand, Roy Halladay demonstrated for a moment he actually was human. Hunched forward at home plate with someone else's bat, he pushed awkwardly as pitches were lobbed toward him.
Halladay looked nervous, like a man staring into the darkness of a snake charmer's basket. It was bunting practice for tonight's debut of interleague play.
"A lot," was Halladay's short answer when asked how much he hated batting. "I don't enjoy it. It's something I don't do well. I don't mind bunting because it's something that's going to help me out. But I never hit."
Bunting was all he attempted. Swinging away wouldn't help. He's 3-for-37 (.081) in interleague hitting and nothing indicates it's going to get any easier. Besides, hitting is not what the Jays pay him for. They pay him to be the No.1 starter and one of the best.
How much of an impact has Halladay had on the Jays since his breakout season in 2002? In his 215 starts over seven-plus seasons, the Jays are 140-75 (.651). Consider that in the 976 games started by someone else, the Jays are 468-508 (.480), averaging only 64 wins in non-Halladay starts. The top season for wins in starts by "others" is 68. That was last year when A.J. Burnett was a clear No.2, posting an 18-10 record.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/638601