Halladay perfect in Phils’ win
Associated Press
MIAMI
Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in major league history, delivering the marquee performance of his All-Star career in a 1-0 win over the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.
It was the second perfect game in the majors this month alone, unheralded Dallas Braden doing it for Oakland against Tampa Bay on May 9.
It’s the first time in the modern era that there were a pair of perfectos in the same season — Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez threw a no-hitter, too, in April.
Halladay struck out 11, then got pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino to ground out to end it, and was cheered by a crowd of 25,086 throughout much of the night.
“I don’t know what to say,” Halladay said. “Early in my bullpen I was hitting spots more than I have been. I felt like I just carried that out there.”
While there were a couple of good plays behind him — shortstop Wilson Valdez went deep into the hole for a grounder, backup third baseman Juan Castro went to his knees for another — Halladay didn’t need any great defensive work in this gem.
The 33-year-old righty known as Doc was a veritable one-man show.
“It’s never something that you think is possible,” Halladay said. “Really, once I got the two outs, I felt like I had a chance. You’re always aware of it. It’s not something that you expect.”
Always stoic on the mound, Halladay (7-3) broke into a big smile as his teammates rushed in to congratulate him.
“That’s a big emotion for him,” Phillies left-hander Jamie Moyer said, laughing in the clubhouse. “It’s fun to watch.”
The Marlins said they would give Halladay the pitching rubber as a souvenir, leading to a slightly surreal scene. The lights at Sun Life Stadium went out and fireworks began exploding two minutes after the game ended, with the field crew preparing for a postgame concert behind second base.