Roy Halladay's Perfect Game

On Saturday night, Doc reminded us all why he is the best pitcher in the league. Roy suffered consecutive losses in his last two starts against Pittsburgh and Boston. In that span, he gave up eight earned runs and seventeen hits. It looked like he was losing his touch. Once again, people started wondering if trading away 2009 post-season hero Cliff Lee was worth it. I admit, in December I was not pleased with the trade, but Roy proved himself in his first six starts with the Phillies. The team has been in an offensive funk lately, being shut out in five of their last eight games, which is not common for any team let alone a World Series contender. This is why I chose to watch the Flyers play Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks instead.

What I didn't realize was that Roy was pitching a gem. I received a text message that said Roy had not given up a hit or a walk through five innings. Immediately I changed the channel to the Phillies game. As I watched Doc dazzle the Marlins' hitters for the final three innings, I was amazed by how good his pitches were that night. Every pitch of his five-pitch arsenal was working against the Marlins. I knew he was good, but I didn't think he would pitch a perfect game - at least not this early in the year. After all, before Saturday, only nineteen perfect games were thrown in Major League Baseball history. Roy joined Phillies' great Jim Bunning as the only Phillies pitchers to throw a perfect game. Doc usually doesn't crack a smile, even after a win, but on Saturday, he couldn't help it.