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BOSTON(AP)
Roy Halladay
keeps showing the
Blue Jays
what they'll be missing if they trade him.
The big name on the market at the non-waiver deadline two months ago, Halladay wrapped up his season - and perhaps his tenure
with Toronto - by throwing a three-hitter for his second consecutive shutout in a 12-0 win over the
Boston Red Sox
on Wednesday night.
Now, he'll go into the offseason wondering whether the
Blue Jays
will try to trade him with one year left on his contract. Halladay, the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner, would have to accept
any deal.
''I think there's going to be a little of that just because of the things that happened earlier in the year,'' Halladay said.
''For the most part, a lot of it will be out of my hands. You never want to be in that uncertainty, but you do the best you
can with the situation and move on.''
The
Blue Jays
entertained offers for Halladay (17-10) before the July 31 deadline but held onto him.
In his last six starts, he had three shutouts, four complete games and a 1.47 ERA.
''It's obviously a nice way to finish,'' Halladay said. ''It's fun when you get runs like that. It takes a lot of the pressure
off.''
The
Blue Jays
hit four homers - two by
Randy Ruiz
and one each by
Lyle Overbay
and
Jose Bautista
- one day after hitting six. They have 46 in September, two shy of the team record for any month set in June 2000.
They won their season-high sixth straight game, while the
Red Sox
matched their season high six-game losing streak. Boston started only two regulars after clinching the AL wild card late Tuesday
night.
The
Red Sox
were hitless until
Joey Gathright
's clean single to left with one out in the sixth.
Rocco Baldelli
singled in the seventh and Gathright added an infield single in the eighth.
''Halladay's tough every night,'' Baldelli said. ''Even when you score a couple of runs off of Halladay, that doesn't mean
he didn't have a good day. That just means you got lucky.''
One night earlier, Boston lost 8-7 to Toronto but locked up a postseason berth less than three hours later when Texas lost
to the
Los Angeles Angels
. The
Red Sox
celebrated in their clubhouse after clinching, despite their own loss.
''It's not going to affect next week'' when they play the Angels in the AL division series, Boston manager
Terry Francona
said of Wednesday's loss. ''Still, terrible night.''
The
Blue Jays
won't be playing next week.
''The guys are swinging the bats like we started the season off,'' manager
Cito Gaston
said. ''I hope we go out and go home with something positive to take home and bring back next year.''
Five days after blanking Seattle on seven hits, Halladay pitched his fourth shutout this season and ninth complete game, both
major league highs. He struck out six, walked two and hit designated hitter
David Ortiz
with a pitch. Boston's other regular in the lineup was shortstop
Alex Gonzalez
, and he came out after six innings even though he wasn't hurt.
Boston catcher
Dusty Brown
made his first major league pitching appearance in the ninth and allowed one run. Two other
Red Sox
position players, outfielder
Jonathan Van Every
and shortstop
Nick Green
, pitched this year.
''We kind of had all our reserve players already in the game,'' said Brown, the closer in 2001 at Yavapai Community College
in Arizona. ''I was the last guy left and I don't think they were going to throw (Dustin) Pedroia out there to possibly get
hurt.''
The
Blue Jays
took a 2-0 lead in the second on a run-scoring groundout by Bautista and an RBI single by
Aaron Hill
. They made it 5-0 in the third on a Overbay's two-run homer, his 16th of the year, and Ruiz's solo shot.
Tim Wakefield
(11-5) left after three innings and fell to 7-1 at Fenway Park.
Fernando Cabrera
allowed the first three batters to reach base in the fifth, including
John McDonald
, who singled in a run.
Dustin Richardson
then gave up Bautista's sacrifice fly and Hill's RBI single that made it 8-0.
Toronto scored twice in the sixth off
Manny Delcarmen
on Ruiz's eighth homer and McDonald's single after
Travis Snider
's triple. Bautista homered in the eighth off
Hideki Okajima
.
NOTES: Baldelli made his first infield appearance in the majors when he moved from right field to third base in the top of
the seventh for the
Red Sox
. ... Halladay improved to 6-9 at Fenway Park. ... Bautista homered in his third straight game.
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