Roy Halladay's son to pitch against Blue Jays on Saturday

The next generation of pitching from the Halladay household will take the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

Braden Halladay, the 17-year-old son of deceased pitcher Roy, will pitch an inning for the Canadian Junior National Team against his father's former team.

"Growing up there, I would not be anywhere near who I am," Braden told Sportsnet's Arash Madani when discussing why he chose to pitch for Canada. "The joy and lessons that place gave me ... I could not trade them for anything.

"It feels like home."

Braden was born and grew up in Canada and felt like it was the correct move to pitch for the country as part of its national team.

"It feels right," he explained. "It's part of me ... It's how I see myself because I feel Canadian."

Braden's father died in an airplane accident in November, but he said the support he's received from his peers, teammates, and fans of the Blue Jays and Phillies has helped during what has been a trying time for his family.

"Instead of grieving and saying like 'Why did this have to happen to me?' You kind of just have to appreciate that we had him for this amount of time and he did everything for our family. It’s awesome that I got to have a dad like that for that long," he added.

Braden will pitch against a Blue Jays squad that is expected to suit up their next generation of potential superstars, including four players whose fathers have MLB connections: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Kacy Clemens, and Cavan Biggio.

Blue Jays ace Marcus Stroman is also expected to make his spring debut on Saturday against the Canadian squad.

Roy Halladay's number will be retired by the Blue Jays on Opening Day. The team will also wear a commemorative No. 32 patch on their jerseys for the 2018 season.