The Phillies entered the 2011 season with one of the most fearsome rotations in baseball history. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt were deemed “The Four Aces.” The four pitchers combined for 13 All-Star appearances, three Cy Young Awards, two NLCS MVP awards and one World Series MVP. The media requests were out of control so the Phillies had a solution: put them all on the podium at once. The love affair officially began on Valentine’s Day 2011.
Yes, that also included Joe Blanton. Halladay was on board with the news conference, but only if Blanton was there.