Halladay goes distance for No. 20

TORONTO -- It seemed fitting that Roy Halladay would be on the mound for the Blue Jays' final home game this season. With Rogers Centre's dome open to welcome in the warm Toronto night on Thursday, Doc did what he does best, delivering another gem to complete what's been a dominating season for the ace.

It was more of the same, as complete-game victories are commonplace for the methodical Halladay, but this time was a little different as well. Moments after sealing the Blue Jays' 8-2 win over the Yankees, Halladay quickly shed his usual grimace and wore a wide grin while his teammates flooded the field to offer hand shakes and hugs.

"It's like all the hard work and there it is -- relief," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said.

It was a little more than that for Halladay. This win was his 20th of the year -- a plateau he has only reached once previously, when he captured the American League Cy Young Award in 2003. If Gaston had any say in the matter, Halladay would take home the same honor this season.

Halladay has been the leader of a stellar starting staff this year for the Blue Jays (84-75) and he showed precisely why in his effort against the Yankees (87-72). The right-hander sliced his way through New York's lineup, completing the game in 96 pitches, inducing 17 outs via ground ball and retiring the final 13 batters he faced in order.

There were also the two runs he allowed along the way, but the effort still dropped Halladay's season ERA to 2.78 -- the second-best mark in the league. When it was all said and done, and New York's Johnny Damon grounded out to second base to end the game, Halladay made his way off the field to a standing ovation, waving his hat as he walked.

"It just goes to show the type of year that he had and the type of pitcher that he is," Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells said. "He's one of the few guys in baseball where you know every time he steps on the mound what you're going to get.

"It's always a pleasure playing behind him."

Often this season, the problem was that Halladay (20-11) didn't always know how much support he was going to receive from his offense. In his 11 losses, the right-hander was given only 23 total runs to work with.