Roy Halladay’s son wants to ‘make my own mark’ on baseball by working in a front office
Braden Halladay, who threw out the first pitch with his brother Ryan before Game 2 of the NLDS, pitched in college at Penn State and High Point, where he earned a master’s degree in 2024.
His dad was Roy Halladay, the dominant pitcher who gritted his teeth every fifth day and matched his glare with a menacing cutter. But Braden Halladay was just as interested in how a team was built than learning how his father gripped his pitches.
“I always wanted to be a major league baseball player. That’s every kid’s dream,” Braden Halladay said Monday after throwing a ceremonial first pitch 15 years after his father’s postseason no-hitter. “But I was super obsessed with the front office and how the front office works. I think anybody who was here and knew me can second that. Even as a 10-year-old, I was just completely enamored by it.”
So it makes sense that Halladay’s son spent the season working as a data apprentice for the Texas Rangers, an entry-level job he hopes can lead to a career in baseball. Braden Halladay pitched in college at Penn State and High Point (N.C.), where he earned a master’s degree in communications and business leadership in December 2024. Halladay worked in spring training for the Phillies in ballpark operations before latching on with the Rangers.
“Luckily, I got an opportunity to get my foot in the door this year and whatever comes next, I’m excited for,” Halladay said. “I’m just excited to not only be following my dad’s footsteps but make my own mark on the game as well.”
Braden Halladay was at Citizens Bank Park in 2010 when his father pitched a no-hitter in his postseason debut. Roy Halladay told his son he wasn’t allowed to go to a big-league playoff game until his team made it. Roy Halladay, who died in November 2017 when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, finally made it to October after 10 years in the big leagues. Braden Halladay, then 10 years old, made it onto Phanavision early in the game — “That made my night,” he said — before he realized what was going on.
“I was more nervous than I was today,” he said.
His younger brother, Ryan, was just 5 years old and had no idea what his dad was doing on the mound. He was playing in the ballpark’s family room, waiting for the game to end so his family could celebrate his birthday. He didn’t know his father threw a no-hitter until it was over.
“All I knew, we were going to the aquarium that night for my birthday,” Ryan Halladay said. “And that’s all I could think about.”
The brothers were back in Philadelphia on Monday to honor their father by throwing a pitch to Carlos Ruiz, their dad’s trusted battery mate, who threw to first base for the last out of that no-hitter. Braden Halladay looked at the crowd before Game 2 of the NLDS and wondered how his father performed so well in front of so many people. The son threw a strike. And now he’s trying to find his own path in the game his father dominated.
“It’s always nice to come back and revisit,” Braden Halladay said. “It helps me to stay really close to my dad. I feel pretty content with everything, and I think my whole family does. We all feel great about his career and everything he did and our relationships. But I think any opportunity you get to be here is really special.”