Halladay reads way back into success and a Cy Young

Score one for The Thinker. The Cy Young Award Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay received on Tuesday isn't so much emblematic of his sensational 2003 season as it is a lifetime achievement award.

A delivery change in the arm angle did wonders for Roy Halladay in 2003. (Getty Images)

Not that there won't be more hardware and trinkets in the future. Halladay is only 26, he's got lightning in his right arm and his future is more wide-open than Montana.

But with a second consecutive stellar season in the books and the Cy Young trophy now headed for his mantel, the important thing to understand about Halladay's career advancement over the past two seasons is that, as recently as 2001, he was as twisted and flat as an old tuba.

More often than not, his arm emitted more unrecognizable notes than solid pitches. A hot prospect facing loads of expectations, Halladay regressed so quickly that, after going 4-7 with a 10.64 ERA for the Blue Jays in 2000, he didn't even get a sniff of the majors in '01. He was submerged so deeply in the minors that summer that he needed a periscope to see Toronto.

Which is why, as Halladay discussed this year's award with a group of writers via conference call from Hawaii on Tuesday -- unfortunately, it was Halladay who was in Hawaii and the writers who were on the telephone, not the other way around -- there was such a sense of accomplishment.

"There's no question, I think it makes it a little more rewarding," Halladay said of his turnaround. "By the same token, you really have a respect for how you did it and for the things that were involved.

"It was a tougher road than I really wanted to take, but no question, it worked out for the best for me. It's really made it that much better, and that much more rewarding."

Halladay, who was 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA for the Blue Jays this season, now has won 41 games over the past two seasons after his near washout.

What's different now is, well, a couple of things.

Former Blue Jays pitching coach Mel Queen worked with him in the minor leagues, and together Queen and Halladay tinkered with the 6-foot-6 pitcher's mechanics. No longer does Halladay pitch with an over-the-top motion, which, they discovered, contributed to control problems.

At Queen's advice, Halladay changed to a three-quarters arm angle, and now his location is nearly MapQuest accurate.

But, as Halladay would discover, tuning up his physical mechanics was only part of the battle.

His other life-altering event came during the winter of '01-'02 when Halladay's wife happened upon the book The Mental Game of Baseball by H.A. Dorfman while browsing in a bookstore. Sometimes, it turns out, not all of the signs a pitcher needs come from a catcher. The book wasn't even in the right section of the bookstore when Halladay's wife found it. But when he read the first chapter, Halladay said last spring, it "fit me to a tee" and caused him to read the entire book.

Halladay met Dorfman before the 2002 season -- Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi was well-acquainted with him from their days together in the Oakland organization -- and the two became friends. The results have been spectacular. What Dorfman has done for Halladay has helped him find a way to simplify things. He taught Halladay a few mental tricks to help the pitcher concentrate on the pitch at hand and block out everything else.

"He really helped me get away from distractions and focus on making one pitch," Halladay said. "If I didn't get the results I wanted, I'd put that away and focus on the next pitch."

No more worrying about what he was going to throw two or three pitches down the line. No more stressing out about which hulking hitter was in the on-deck circle, or about how he was going to get through the middle of the opposing lineup next inning.

One pitch at a time. Nothing more.

Halladay wasn't the first client for Dorfman, who has worked with former closer Dennis Eckersley and the Oakland Athletics, along with other players and teams.

He simply is his latest and best example for the power of positive -- and situational -- thinking.

Halladay's 19 wins in '02 were the most by a Toronto right-hander since Roger Clemens in 1998.

His Cy Young Award this year is the first for a Toronto pitcher since Clemens' in '98.

There were times during the year when Esteban Loaiza of the Chicago White Sox appeared to be the Cy Young front-runner. Particularly in April, when Halladay was winless.

Then Halladay reeled off a sensational 15-decision winning streak from May 1 through July 27 before cooling off to reasonable means in August and September.

If you're ordering a deli sandwich for lunch, you want it to resemble Halladay's season: Not much on top in April, not bad at the end, but the stuffing in the middle, wow!

"It was an unbelievable ride for me," Halladay said. "There were some games in there where I got a lot of help from my teammates. It was one of those things where when you're going through it, it's hard to believe it's happening. Everything was going right ...

"I've had it where for one or two games, everything seems to be working. Where if I didn't have my best stuff, the team would score a couple of more runs. But I've never experienced anything like that before."

He led the majors in victories and he tied for the lead with nine complete games. One of those was a 1-0, 10-inning victory over Detroit in which Halladay became the first pitcher to produce an extra-inning shutout victory since Minnesota's Jack Morris hung a 1-0, 10-inning decision over Atlanta in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

That, Halladay said, was probably the highlight of his season. That was as good as he can do.

So now Halladay, the Blue Jays and the rest of the AL wait to see if he can top himself in '04. And if you get the feeling he's just getting started, well, so do a lot of other folks, too. As Halladay himself said, while he gained confidence from his 19 wins in '02, there remains that uneasy, one-hit wonder feeling that nags at a person until he produces something impressive a second time.

Thanks to his mechanics and continued counseling from Dorfman, Halladay rang up a second in '03 and now will condition both body and mind over the winter to prepare for '04.

He still speaks with Dorfman once or twice a month, Halladay said.

"If things are going well, he usually doesn't call me," he said. "But I like to keep in touch when things are going well, or even if they're not. There are so many things he has to tell you two or three times before they sink in.

"There is so much you can learn from a guy like that. I think the more you talk to him, the better."