Blue Jays' all-time retired numbers

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays' most prestigious honor for the first 35 years of their existence was a spot on the Level of Excellence. But Roberto Alomar's Hall of Fame career seemed fit for an even bigger celebration.

In the summer of 2011, Toronto broke with franchise tradition by deciding to retire Alomar's No. 12 shortly after he was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. Soon-to-be Hall of Famer Roy Halladay's No. 32 joined Alomar's in the rafters seven years later following his tragic death in Florida.

Toronto has 11 names on its Level of Excellence, but Alomar and Halladay are the only two former Blue Jays who have seen their jersey taken one step further. MLB.com is taking a closer look at retired numbers from all 30 teams around Major League Baseball, and here's the two that qualify for Toronto:

Roberto Alomar, 2B: No. 12
Number retired: July 31, 2011
Alomar was acquired alongside Joe Carter in a trade for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez at the 1990 Winter Meetings. General manager Pat Gillick's blockbuster trade is still considered arguably the best in franchise history because it paved the way to back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93.

In the five years Alomar spent in Toronto, he made the All-Star team each season, hit .373 in the postseason, picked up an American League Championship Series MVP, a Silver Slugger Award and five Gold Gloves. In 2011, Alomar became the first player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with a Blue Jays cap, and the third Puerto Rican. Alomar finished his career ranked first all-time among Blue Jays second basemen with 206 stolen bases and a .308 batting average.

Roy Halladay, RHP: No. 32
Number retired: March 29, 2018
Halladay made his Major League debut in 1998 but struggled during the early stages of his career and didn't become a mainstay until 2002. He turned into the best pitcher in Blue Jays history by making six All-Star teams, winning the 2003 AL Cy Young Award and compiling a 148-76 record with a 3.43 ERA over 12 seasons in Toronto. Halladay's success continued in Philadelphia, where he won another Cy Young Award and went to the postseason in back-to-back years. But his loyalty remained with the Blue Jays, and he signed a one-day contract in 2013 to retire with the team that raised him.
On Nov. 7, 2017, Halladay passed away in a plane crash off the coast of Florida. Halladay's number was retired during an emotional on-field ceremony at Rogers Centre with his wife and two sons on Opening Day of 2018.