The Philadelphia Phillies shuy down the Cincinnati Reds in a 4-0 game Wednesday with Roy Halladay playing a crucial role in the triumph.
Halladay, who made playoff debut by lobbing the second no-hitter in Major League Baseball postseason history, complimented the honor by winning the game for his new team.
The Phillies acquired Halladay during the offseason from the Toronto Blue Jays where he spent over 12 years of his career. It appears the selection was justified with his stellar performance as only one baserunner was allowed on a fifth-inning walk during his rein; he also had a run-scoring single that won the Phillies their 1-0 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series.
Apart from one run in the first inning, the Phillies scored three in the second and effectively crushed the Reds, who had the honor of scoring the most runs in the NL this season. Halladay had eight strikeouts but a two-out walk to Jay Bruce in the fifth inning put an end to the fireworks.
"I just wanted to pitch in the postseason. To be able to go out and have a game like that, it's a dream come true," Halladay said after the game.
He comes to the Phillies with plenty of experience as he pitched nearly 2,300 career innings over 346 games before making his playoff debut. Don Larsen was the sole record holder before Halladay's debut; Larsen threw a postseason no-hitter in the 1956 World Series for the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
