Phillies 4, Reds 0
Roy Halladay's first playoff start was special. So special it has only been topped once in playoff history.
Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history - and the first since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series - retiring 27 of the 28 batters he faced to pitch the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-0 victory against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their National League Division Series on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Halladay (1-0) retired the first 14 batters he faced before a two-out walk to Jay Bruce in the fifth, but the bump in the road didn't faze him. He flew through four more hitless innings, finishing with eight strikeouts.
Halladay threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 28 batters he faced in his second no-hitter of the year. He threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins on May 29.
"It's surreal. It really is," Halladay said. "To be able to go out and have a game like that, it's a dream come true."
It didn't take long for the Phillies to give Halladay all the support he needed. Chase Utley's sacrifice fly in the first got them on the board, and they added three more runs to chase Reds starter Edinson Volquez in the second.
Halladay started the scoring in the second with an RBI single and Shane Victorino capped it with a two-run single. Victorino went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Volquez (0-1) lasted only 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and walking two. Three Reds relievers combined for 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball out of the bullpen.
Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo and Philadelphia's Roy Oswalt are scheduled to pitch Game 2 on Friday.