Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay Pitches Historic No-Hitter

Okay, so I don't sit breathless in front of the TV all summer glued to every Phillies game. I do, however, watch a good proportion of them, keep up on our stars and stats, our trades and our injuries, and always monitor the game progress from the computer room by the cheers or swear words from my husband that float upstairs.

I noticed that he got extremely quiet in the middle of the first game of the Division Playoffs between the Phillies and the Reds, and a loud "Damn, he walked him," drifted up. When I went downstairs to take my "union break," hubby informed me that Roy "Doc" Halladay had a perfect game going until he walked a batter in the fifth inning, but that he could still get a no hitter. I love pitching duels, so I actually sat down to watch this one. What a game. And "Doc" himself even drove in a run!

When Roy Halladay achieved his goal of making it to the postseason, and was awarded the honor of pitching in the first game of the division playoffs against the Cincinnati Reds, he only thought about winning the game. Making post-season history was the furthest thing from his mind. Halladay's no hitter is only the second no-hitter in baseball history, the last one being Yankee Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Quoted in the Akron Beacon Journal, 81-year old Larsen said of his October 8, 1956, no hitter, "'I think about it every day and I can't help that. It's the best thing that ever happened. And it made me a few dollars over the years, too. I can't complain about it a bit." When Larsen, now living in Idaho, heard on the news of Roy Halladay's feat, he stated, ''Pretty damn nice." Larsen sent congratulations to Halladay, and told AP that he was happy for him.

Roy Halladay also is the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan 37 years ago to throw two no-hitters in the same season. Doc pitched a perfect game this year on May 29th, validating trading Cliff Lee away for him. I must admit, I was more than a bit miffed when the Phillies traded Lee. "Who the hell is Roy Halladay," I demanded from my husband, who merely smiled and said, "You'll see."

It was a miserably raw and rainy night in Philadelphia, but there was no 7th inning rush to get to your car to beat traffic. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said, "People stayed in their seats and sat there and watched the game. [Halladay] came in and went down to the end of the dugout, sat in his chair, and didn't say a word. End of the inning, he'd get back up and go back on the field. It's pretty neat, really."

Manuel also noted how quiet it began to get in the Phillies dugout. "Out in the bullpen, the relief pitchers also stayed put. No one wants to change the energy or put a jinx on a pitcher with a no-hitter. One reliever needed to relieve himself, but Ryan Madson said he had remained in place until Halladay secured the final out." (Superstitious himself, my husband refuses to wear his Phillies' shirts during a game.)

And the rest of the team was determined to help Roy Halladay reach that final out. No Phillies player wanted to be the one to ruin Halladay's no-hitter. Time after time, his colleagues made spectacular plays in the field.

The roar when catcher Carlos Ruiz, from his knees, threw to Ryan Howard in time for Howard to get Brandon Philips out, was almost as loud as when the Phillies won their two World Series titles. And "Doc" made baseball history. Halladay gave much credit to his catcher, saying Ruiz helped him get into a rhythm early that night, and all season.

And so, with a history making win under their belts, the Phillies proceed in their fourth season in a row of post-season play. Considering that in 2007, the Phillies reached the dubious milestone of being the first team in history to lose 10,000 games, but still managed to nab the NL East title, considering in 2008 they won the World Series, and considering that, even though they lost to the Yankees last year, they took us to the World Series again, I'd say, "Gee, it's fun being a Phillies fan again!"

Sources: Personal experience; Philly.com; Ohio.com; YahooNews