Roy Halladay's wife, Brandy, gives emotional speech at Hall of Fame induction ceremony

There were going to be tears one way or another, Brandy Halladay said, just after she listened to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred read the inscription on her late husband Roy's Hall of Fame plaque that was unveiled Sunday in Cooperstown, New York. 

Halladay died Nov. 7, 2017, when his plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico not far from his Florida home. He was voted into the Hall this past January with 85.4 percent of the vote. 

In her closing remarks, Brandy said: 

"I think that Roy would want everyone to know that people are not perfect. That we are all imperfect and flawed in one way or another. But with hard work, humility and dedication, imperfect people can still have perfect moments. Roy was blessed in his life and his career to have some perfect moments but I believe they were only possible because of the man he strived to be, the teammate that he was and the people he was blessed to be on the field with." 

Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in 2010 while with the Philadelphia Phillies. He established himself as a tireless worker with a reputation of precision. He had a career 3.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 203-105 record across 416 games (390 starts).

But a recent Sports Illustrated story went into detail about Halladay's post-retirement struggles. He went to rehab for abusing prescription drugs.

The autopsy report revealed morphine, amphetamines and the sleeping medication Ambien in his system. All of that added weight to his wife's words. 

REMEMBERING ROY:Halladay was as humble as he was dominating for Phillies

"Anybody who thinks baseball truly isn't a family has never been involved in baseball," she said. "I know how honored Roy would be to be sitting here with such accomplished men, who have represented the game so well through all of your careers. ... This is not my speech to give. I'm going to do the best I can to say the things I believe Roy might have said or wanted to say if he was here today." 

Brandy Halladay and her two sons made the decision to not put a logo on Halladay's plaque, saying it's what he would have wanted. Instead, she gave a special shout out to the two organizations her husband suited up for, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Phillies. 

"Thank you for allowing us to grow up, to fail over and over, and finally, learn how to succeed," Brandy said.

Halladay's former teammate, J.C. Romero, told Brandy last year that Roy didn't play to be in the Hall of Fame. Rather, he'd be there because of the way he played.

"I think Roy would rather be remembered by who he was, not what he did on the ball field," Brandy said. "He was a private person, often quiet and introverted. But he was also very generous and caring.

"Of course, he would be honored and humbled. But in true Roy form, he would have quickly given any accolades or props to all of his coaches and teammates. He was a true competitor. He went to the field every day ready to do whatever it took to give his team the best possible chance to win."