Philadelphia Phillies Roy Halladay's NLDS No-Hitter Tops Cliff Lee—and Himself

Yesterday afternoon, as Roy Halladay was preparing for yesterday's NLDS opener, Cliff Lee was putting the finishing touches on another brilliant postseason pitching performance. 

Lee dominated the AL's most potent offense, striking out 10 Tampa Bay Rays batters while holding them to one run to give the Texas Rangers their first playoff win in 14 years. 

Just one year earlier, of course, the unflappable lefty dazzled the baseball world with a spectacular postseason performance that took the Phillies to the brink of a second straight championship. And, like Halladay this year, Lee was making his first foray beyond the regular season. 

The fact that Halladay would be making his postseason debut immediately after Lee tossed yet  another October gem is surely a bit of irony. As Phillies fans will attest, despite never playing on the same team, the two ace hurlers will likely be forever intertwined. 

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro assured as much when he simultaneously swung two blockbuster deals last winter. The first brought Halladay and considerable exuberance to town by way of the Toronto Blue Jays. 

The second deal sent Lee to the Seattle Mariners and shockwaves throughout Philly. Neither players nor fans had envisioned that acquiring Halladay would mean parting ways with the city's newly embraced sports hero. 

Although everyone was thrilled to welcome Halladay, a great deal of debate ensued since last December about the wisdom in trading Lee. Amaro's mid-summer acquisition of another ace, Roy Oswalt, has quieted the rumblings, but clearly the Lee trade placed pressure on Halladay to perform at or even exceed the same high level of performance. 

To say that Halladay has responded well to the challenge is an understatement. He started the season pitching like he might never lose. 

After he did prove, in fact, to be human, the big right-hander hurled Major League Baseball's 20th perfect game. He dominated the Florida Marlins from start to finish. 

Halladay's 10-7 record and 2.19 ERA landed him on his seventh All-Star squad. He proceeded to improve his record to 21-10 with a sparkling 2.44 ERA. 

His incredible 7.30 strikeouts to walk ratio almost doubled that of any other National League hurler. The only pitcher in baseball to top that mark was- you guessed it— Cliff Lee with an almost impossible 10.28 ratio. 

And, to add a bold exclamation point to his likely Cy Young regular season, Halladay threw a masterful 2-hit shutout to clinch the NL Eastern Division title. 

Despite his season-long brilliance, some whispers of doubt were spoken about Halladay as the Phillies prepared for their NLDS opener against the Reds. 

Some wondered whether Halladay would be nervous on the big stage after 12 seasons of packing his locker contents after 162 games?

Would the NL's top offense be able to handle him like they did in the regular season?

Could he pitch as well in the playoffs as he did in the regular season after logging more than 250 innings of work?

Others questioned whether he could possibly reach the bar that was set so high by Lee in 2009?

And, as if that was not enough, Lee extended that postseason mastery in the hours leading up to last evening's opening pitch. 

Halladay responded to all of it the way he always does. There he was at 5:07 last night, toeing the rubber with that same stoic look wrought with intense determination. 

And, it just got better from there. 

As even non-baseball fans know by now, Halladay carved out a place in history by firing the second no-hitter in Major League Baseball's 104-year postseason run— and his second of the year. 

He was masterful from start to finish. 

The few extra days of rest earned by his clinching victory, along with the playoff atmosphere adrenaline, had his fastball popping into the glove of Carlos Ruiz at 94 mph. 

He had command of all four pitches that he claims in his arsenal, as well as some that he seems to invent along the way.  His pitches were diving in every direction, including a split finger change-up that hitters could not touch as it appeared to intensify gravity. 

After he applied the final strokes to his masterpiece for the ages, a pregnant pause ensued. Would the Phillies take the queue from their  workmanlike and stoic ace and simply exchange courteous handshakes— or celebrate the right way?

After making a brilliant play on a tapper to record the final out, Ruiz answered the question by rushing toward Halladay, who then broke into a huge smile. Phillies players followed suit and mobbed the historic battery-mates in the center of the infield.

What a day, what a debut. 

A perfect game...an All-Star berth...21 wins...a division clinching shutout...a likely Cy Young Award...and now a postseason no-hitter. 

Roy Halladay somehow topped the bar set by Cliff Lee. Along the way, he also somehow even topped himself. 

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 21 of 21

20 Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies May 29, 2010

With the newspaper ink barely dry on Braden's big day, Philadelphia Phillies ace pitcher Roy Halladay added his name to the hallowed list. Coming off his worst performance of the season and surrounded by a slumping team, Halladay made one unearned run stand up by setting every Marlins hitter down in order.

The lanky right-hander overpowered the Marlins primarily with his signature heavy, sinking fastball. Halladay pounded the edges of the strike zone inside and out, while occasionally mixing in breaking balls.

The former Blue Jays star, who was acquired by the Phillies in the offseason in a much celebrated trade, needed 115 pitches to secure the masterpiece. He set down eight hitters by ground ball and the same number via fly ball, while striking out 11 for the game.

Similar to pitchers such as Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson, Halladay possesses the demeanor, command and overall stuff that made him a candidate to accomplish such a remarkable feat. He is arguably the game's best pitcher with a 155-79 record and 3.37 ERA over his first 13 seasons.

In just his second major league start, Halladay came within one out of a no-hitter before the Tigers' Bobby Higginson jacked a home run to spoil it. This time around, Halladay was up to the task to add another great accomplishment to his sparkling resume.

The Final Word

Over the course of 130 years— from Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs to Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies— there have been a grand total of 20 pitchers to achieve perfection.

It is surely an exclusive club with a very clear requirement for entry. Having two players sign on in the month of May is truly extraordinary, particularly considering that as many as 34 years have passed between occurrences.

Interestingly, half of the perfect games have featured two or less runs— six with just one run. Perhaps the low run support causes pitchers to maintain greater focus, almost forcing them towards perfection.

Fortunately for Halladay, the Phillies scratched out an unearned run on Saturday— or this club's list might be at 19 and holding.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 20 of 21

19 Dallas Braden, Oakland Athletics May 9, 2010

Like Jim Bunning 16 seasons earlier, Dallas Braden tossed his gem on a personally highly meaningful day— Mother's Day. The Oakland A's left-hander lost his mother to cancer as a teenager and was raised by his grandmother, who happened to be in the stands to witness his historic achievement.

Braden's feat came against the same Tampa Bay Rays team that suffered a perfect game at the hands of Buehrle less than a year earlier. The 2010 edition, though, came into the game as the hottest team in baseball, sporting a major league best 22-8 record.

Apparently, the Rays do not match up well against crafty lefties as Braden deploys a very similar pitching style to that of Buehrle. The only major difference this time around was that there were no ninth inning histrionics. The closest the Rays got to a hit was Jason Bartlett's line-out to open the game.

The young pitcher is just 18-26 at this point in his career, but has demonstrated continual improvement over his four years in the "Bigs." Based on his Mother's day performance, the future looks bright for the 26-year old pitcher.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 19 of 21

18 Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox July 23, 2009

While Johnson was perhaps a perfect game waiting to happen, Mark Buehrle is not equipped quite the same way. The Chicago White Sox hurler does not possess dominant stuff, but instead relies on great command and precision to be effective.

Although he has enjoyed a fine career mixing up his wide array of pitches, Buehrle deploys a pitch-to-contact style that leans heavily on his fielders behind him. And, in last season's perfect game, the White Sox lefty benefited from a spectacular, home run robbing catch by center fielder DeWayne Wise to preserve the masterpiece in the ninth.

Overall, Buehrle eased his way through the game against a hard hitting Tampa Bay Rays team until the dramatic play in the final frame. He retired 11 via ground ball, 10 via fly ball, and 6 via strikes.

Just two seasons earlier, Buehrle tossed a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers. Coincidentally, the same home plate umpire (Eric Cooper) called both games, so hitters might not be thrilled to see him donning a chest protector when Buehrle takes the mound down the road.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 18 of 21

17 Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks May 18, 2004

As former Phillie John Kruk would attest, Randy Johnson was one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball history. Sporting a triple digit fastball and an obscene slider— both delivered by a 6' 10" hurler with a side arm delivery— Johnson seemed capable of throwing a no-hitter every time he took the mound.

On this particular night, at the advanced age of 40, "The Big Unit" was at his dominant best against the Atlanta Braves. Johnson fired 117 pitches, striking out 13 batters in the masterpiece, including the last two outs of the game.

His performance rivaled that of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in terms of dominance. Although he went onto play five more seasons, Johnson is the oldest player ever to achieve this rare feat.

Besides throwing a no-hitter earlier in his career, Johnson's overall resume ranks him among the game's all-time greats— so adding a perfect game was surely not shocking throughout the baseball world. Over 22 seasons, he amassed five Cy Young Awards, a 303-166 record, 3.29 ERA, and the second most strikeouts (4,875) in the history of the game.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 17 of 21

16 David Cone, New York Yankees July 18, 1999

Something must have been in the air on July 18, 1999. David Cone gave the storied Yankees franchise another perfect game in just a little over a year.

Most interestingly, though, the masterpiece came on "Yogi Berra Day" at Yankee Stadium. The special event featured Don Larsen throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Berra, who caught the pitcher's famous World Series perfect game.

Perhaps destiny was in play, but if so, it was not without challenge. Cone dispensed the Montreal Expos that day on just 88 pitches, but had to endure a 33-minute rain delay along the way. He struck out 10 hitters in the contest and never worked a three-ball count.

Cone enjoyed a fine 17-year career, compiling a .606 winning percentage with a 194-126 record. Oddly enough, after pitching the greatest game of his career that ran his record to 10-4, the right-handed hurler suddenly lost effectiveness and was never the same pitcher again.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 16 of 21

15 David Wells, New York Yankees May 17, 1998

Later claiming to have been "half drunk" and suffering from a major hangover, New York Yankees pitcher David Wells etched his name in the baseball history books when he fired a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. The 4-0 victory required 120 pitches and featured 11 K's.

Playing on the World Series Champion team that racked up 114 wins during the regular season, Wells turned in the finest season of his distinguished career. His 18-4 won/loss record was punctuated with his early season "perfecto."

The burly lefty amassed a 239-157 career record over 21 seasons. A point of interest is that Wells attended the same high school as Don Larsen.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 15 of 21

14 Kenny Rogers, Texas Rangers July 28, 1994

Three years later to the day, Kenny Rogers hurled Major League Baseball's 14th perfect game. In doing so, he also returned the favor to the California Angels, who behind Mike Witt had bestowed a perfect game on the Rangers 10 years earlier.

In this game, apparently Rogers "knew when to hold 'em, knew when to fold 'em" as he kept the Angels off balance all evening. The Rangers' left-hander cruised along for eight innings, striking out eight in the process.

He faced a large scare leading off the ninth, when Rex Hudler lined a ball to right-center. Center fielder Rusty Greer got a good break to track it down and then made a spectacular diving catch to keep the gem alive. Two outs later, Greer clutched the final out on a "can of corn" to center to put Rogers in the history books.

Rogers finished his career with a 219-156 record, retiring after the 2008 season. The athletic pitcher won five Gold Glove Awards and made four trips to the All-Star game.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 14 of 21

13 Dennis Martinez, Montreal Expos July 28, 1991

Dennis Martinez is one of just nine pitchers to win at least 100-games in both leagues, but his most shining accomplishment came at the age of 36 when he tossed a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nicaraguan right-hander is the only pitcher born outside of the United States on the exclusive list of 20.

Interestingly, both Martinez and Dodgers hurler Mike Morgan were perfect through five innings, which is the latest that opposing pitchers have gotten to that point. Also, just two days earlier, teammate Mark Gardner no-hit the Dodgers through nine innings before giving up a hit in the 10th.

Although he never exceeded 16-wins in a season, Martinez racked up a 245-193 record. Overall, he played 23 years until the age of 43.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 13 of 21

12 Tom Browning, Cincinnati Reds September 16, 1988

For the fifth time in 12 games, the author of a perfect game eked out a 1-0 victory. Cincinnati Reds left-hander Tom Browning prevailed over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a late season contest at Riverfront Stadium, whiffing seven along the way.

Browning became the first and only Reds hurler to throw a perfect game in 1988. Less than a year later, he made a second bid before the Phillies' Dickie Thon broke up the flawless game to lead off the ninth inning.

He accumulated 123 wins (all with the Reds) to go against 90 losses over 12 seasons.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 12 of 21

11 Mike Witt, California Angels September 30, 1984

California Angels hurler Mike Witt ended the 1984 season with a bang. Playing on the road against the Texas Rangers, Witt tossed a 10-strikeout perfect game to secure a 1-0 win.

The 6' 7" righty's signature pitch was a hard breaking curve ball to go along with a lively fastball. Earlier in the year, Witt struck out 16 hitters in a complete game victory against the Mariners, but he saved the best for last.

Overall, Witt registered a 117-116 mark over 12 years. His best seasons were from 1984 to 1987 when he compiled a 64-44 won/loss record.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 11 of 21

10 Len Barker, Cleveland Indians May 15, 1981

Although Len Barker never realized his overall potential due to issues with his command, he was completely dialed in on one particular cold, damp night in Cleveland. The hard throwing right-hander never once threw as many as three balls to any Blue Jays hitter on his way to an 11-strikeout perfect game.

Barker's masterpiece was the first against a team using the designated hitter. It is also the last time an Indians' pitcher has thrown a no-hitter.

Over 11 seasons, Barker compiled a 74-76 record with a 4.34 ERA. That misty night in 1981 was undoubtedly the zenith of his career.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 10 of 21

9 Catfish Hunter, Oakland Athletics May 8, 1968

The late Jim "Catfish" Hunter put his name in the history books before he developed into one of the game's top pitchers. In his fourth year at the age of 22, Hunter twirled baseball's ninth flawless masterpiece for the Oakland A's against a line-up featuring three all-time greats.

The young right-hander shut down a Minnesota Twins team that included Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, and Harmon Killebrew— winners of 10 batting and six home run titles between them. And, he did so in convincing fashion with 11 K's.

Catfish was also the hitting star of the game, going 3 for 4 and driving in three of his team's four runs. Hunter sadly passed away in 1999 at the age of 53, a victim of ALS.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 9 of 21

8 Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers September 9, 1965

Sandy Koufax was one of the game's most dominant pitchers, recording four no-hitters and a bevy of awards over his 12 major league seasons. Ultimately, the flame throwing lefty retired at the peak of his career on the advice of physicians due to arthritis.

The 1966 season was both his finest and final campaign— including baseball's eighth perfect game. Not surprisingly, Koufax recorded arguably the most dominant "perfecto"— mowing down 14 batters on strikes.

The 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs was also the only game in history with just one hit, but the Dodgers were able to scratch out one unearned run with that one base knock.

Koufax came very close to hurling perfect games a couple times earlier in his career. In 1963, he went into the eighth inning before yielding a walk, but was able to complete his second ho-hitter. In 1964, he faced the minimum 27 batters when Richie Allen walked, but was thrown out stealing in Koufax's third no-no.

In the period from 1963 to 1966, the Dodgers hurler posted 25-5, 19-5, 26-8, and 27-9 won/loss records with a 1.86 ERA. For his efforts, he was recognized with three Cy Young Awards and one MVP trophy.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 8 of 21

7 Jim Bunning, Philadelphia Phillies June 21, 1964

Fittingly, the father of nine children placed his name on this prestigious list on Father's Day. Jim Bunning, who later was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and U.S. House of Representatives, dominated the New York Mets in the first game of a doubleheader.

Bunning struck out 10 batters on the way to the 6-0 victory that was the National League's first perfect game in 84 years. The game was his second no-hitter in an accomplished career.

Although he recorded 20-wins just one season, Bunning finished with a 224-184 mark and a 3.27 ERA. After falling short of the necessary votes from the Baseball Writer's Association, the Veteran's Committee selected him to be inducted into the Cooperstown venue in 1996.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 7 of 21

6 Don Larsen, New York Yankees October 8, 1956

This is the most famous of the 20 games marked by pitching perfection as it occurred in the 1956 World Series. Don Larsen earned MVP honors for his pitching masterpiece as his New York Yankees went on to defeat the cross-town Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3 in the Fall Classic.

Learning just hours before the game that he would pitch, Larsen made a case against mental preparation by tossing the first perfect game in 34 years on the sport's biggest stage. Overall, he struck out seven hitters and only once did he go as deep as 3-balls in the count.

Like Richmond and Robertson before him, Larsen finished his playing days with a losing record at 81-91. Despite an otherwise largely undistinguished career, the tall righty etched his name in baseball's history books with a game for the ages.

No pitcher before or after has hurled a no-hitter in the postseason, let alone a perfect game.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 6 of 21

5 Charlie Robertson, Chicago White Sox April 30, 1922

In just his fifth appearance in the major's, Charlie Robertson pitched the game of his life. Overall, this was the most unlikely "perfecto" of them all.

The opposing team was the Ty Cobb-led Detroit Tigers that compiled a .369 OBP that season. Additionally, Robertson never enjoyed a winning season as a pitcher on his way to a 49-80 career record.

Of course, on this "red letter" day, the 26-year old righty had it going on. He struck out 6 of the 27 batters that he retired in order in the 2-0 win at Detroit's Navin Field.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 5 of 21

4 Addie Joss, Cleveland Naps October 2, 1908

Pitching in a tight pennant race with just four days left in the regular season, Addie Joss came up big with the most efficient perfect game in history. Joss needed just 74 pitches to record a 1-0 win that moved his team into a tie for first, two games ahead of that day's opponents— the Chicago White Sox.

That particular day, Joss bested Hall of Famer Ed Walsh, who struck out 15 batters and yielded but one unearned run. Cleveland's tall right-hander only managed three strikeouts, but won the game by setting every hitter down in order.

Joss' playing career was cut tragically short by illness in 1910 and a year later he passed away at just 31 years of age. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by vote of the Veteran's Committee in 1964 in recognition of his 160-97 record with a sparkling 1.89 career ERA.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 4 of 21

3 Cy Young, Boston Americans May 5, 1904

Cy Young is the winningest pitcher in Major League Baseball history and synonymous with pitching excellence. It is only fitting that he recorded the first perfect game in the "Modern Era."

Young set down 27 batters in order against the Philadelphia A's at the age of 37. Leading into the game, the Hall of Fame hurler pitched eight hitless innings and then followed with six hitless innings after his perfect game— an almost incomprehensible streak of 23 straight hitless innings.

The sturdy right-hander registered a 511-316 record over 22 seasons, including five 30-win campaigns. All told, Young threw a record 7,356 innings in the major's.

Counting Down a True Rarity: MLB's 20 Perfect Games

Part 3 of 21

2 John Montgomery Ward, Providence Grays June 17, 1880

The pitcher sporting the name of a once famous retail chain matched Richmond's feat just five days later. Monte Ward still stands as the youngest pitcher to ever hurl a perfect game at just 20 years old.

Ward matched Richmond with five K's. Regardless of his performance or the situation, it was his game to finish as he was the only pitcher on the Grays' roster.

Although arm trouble eventually led him to permanently become a position player, Ward posted some eye popping numbers in 1879-1880. After going 47-19, the diminutive right-hander fell short of back-to-back 40-win seasons when he "dropped" to 39-24 record the following season.

Ward was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the strength of his early pitching success and then his later work in the middle infield.