The Show.

Roy Halladay was a question to some going into playoffs. Yes, he had an unbelievable season - one that will most likely earn him his second Cy Young award - but he had never pitched a playoff inning, and regardless of how good a player may be, there's always a question about how an athlete will perform come playoff time. However, Roy took that question and answered it with an exclamation as he pitched a no-hitter in his first ever playoff start.


As I saw this happening it was of course exciting. There had been only one playoff no-hitter in the history of baseball, but what's more is that, for those who forgot, Halladay already pitched a no-hitter this year (actually, it was a perfect game if you want to get technical about it.) Tonight he became the first player to ever pitch a no-hitter in the regular season and playoffs of the same year. So like I said, exciting? Of course. Surprising? Not totally. If there's one guy in baseball who could do this it'd be Doc Halladay. His work ethic is legendary, and the amount he studies his opponents gives Peyton Manning a run for his money. So with that being said, let me rephrase what my emotions were like: was I surprised that a major league pitcher was able to throw a regular season and playoff no-hitter in the same year? Absolutely. Was I surprised that that pitcher happened to be Roy Halladay? No.

As for an impression, Halladay has Phillies fans breathing easy. Like I said earlier, how a guy will perform in the playoffs is always a question. Look at A-Rod. He's notorious (with the exception of last season) for slumping in the playoffs. He'd put up great numbers all season and come playoff time he'd choke. That's what the post-season can do to a lot of players. The pressure is too much, it gets in their head and they crumble. Halladay isn't like other players though. You wanna talk about pressure? This start has been building up for 13 years. He's been a top three pitcher in baseball for the last decade and now, after all that time and all that dominance he was getting his shot in the spotlight with everyone watching. So being the kind of player he is, he took that shot and did what he's been doing his whole career. With the pressure on he was like a rock. He was in the zone and there was no way he was gonna crack. If you watched the game you know what I'm talking about. Some of his pitches were literally unhittable. But that's what Doc does, even when it counts most.

As for the Phils, they've been known as an offensive team, which explains a majority of the success they've had in the last few years, but now combine that veteran offense with the three aces the team has and you have a very scary combination (unless you're a Phillies fan, of course.)

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