Roy Halladay Pitches No-Hitter To Open NLDS

Phillies Ace Turns
Twitterverse Upside Down
With Game One Masterpiece

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter Wednesday to lead Philadelphia to a 4-0 win over Cincinnati in Game One of the National League Division Series.

It was the first postseason no-hitter since Don Larsen's perfect game for the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series. It was also Halladay's first-ever postseason start.

Halladay's only blemish was a fifth-inning walk to Jay Bruce with two outs.

"I felt like we got in a groove early," Halladay told TBS after the game. "This is what you come here for. It's been a great year. It's been a fun year. We've stll got a long way to go, but it's nice to come here where they know how to win."

It was the second-no hitter of the season for Halladay. Only four other pitchers in Major League history have turned the trick.

Halladay threw 104 pitches, according to TBS, 79 of them for strikes. He finished with eight strikeouts.

"It was tremendous, absolutely unreal," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said in the postgame press conference that TBS aired.

"In the sixth inning, things got real quiet ... Nobody said anything to him. Just sitting there watching the game. Great managing."

Here's a collection of what some folks were saying on Twitter in the minutes immediately following Halladay's no-no:

+ @fauxjohnmadden: "Roy Halladay has just leaped Kevin Kolb on the Eagles depth chart.

+ @EamesEra: "Hi, I'm Roy Halladay, and you're just lucky I didn't drink your blood and feast on your entrails."

+ @PTIShow: "Cliff Lee absolutely deals today and Doc Halladay still trumps him."

+ @LATimesrainey: "This is what baseball looks like, Dodger fans"

+ @gruber: "Lee was great. Halladay was epic. Pressure is on CC."

+ @SportsCollector: "So what's a ticket stub from tonight's game worth?"

+ @BlueWorkhorse: "I think I'd let that Halladay guy pitch for my rec league team."

+ @pourmecoffee: "If Roy Halladay keeps pitching like this, there is going to be a lot of crying in baseball."

+ @sporer: "Yes @Marc_Normandin: I can't even describe how bad I want gm 7 of the World Series to be Halladay vs. Lee. Just not possible to explain."

+ @Uconn42: "Doc Halladay is the man. Only thing cooling him off tonight is a cold shower

+ @LeBatardShow: "The Marlins have just put on sale unsold tickets to Halladay's no-hitter. Stugotz"