Roy Halladay and the Perfect Game
It has been 14 years since Roy Halladay became a Phillies legend and pitched a perfect game against the Miami Marlins.
For many a Phillies fan, there are few times more memorable than the latter half of the 2000s. From around 2006 until the early part of 2011, it was a magical time to be into the sport of baseball in Philadelphia. Often called the Golden Age of Phillies Baseball, it saw the team win a World Series, go to another and claim a string of National League East titles.
Each and every home game saw Citizens Bank Park become the center of the Philly sports universe. Thousands of fans got louder with every hit of the ball or pitch off the mound. The team held the record for consecutive sellouts for a number of years and it was during this time that other teams started to realize playing here and dealing with the Phillies faithful wasn't a lot of fun.
Of course, that all came crashing down when Ryan Howard shredded his Achilles' tendon on the final out of Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS. The image of Howard having to be helped off the field as the St. Louis Cardinals were celebrating their victory stayed with fans for over a decade, not put to rest until the current roster returned to the postseason in 2022, playing in the World Series once again.
Despite how it ended, that amazing stretch was filled with some incredible moments. Obviously the World Series title in 2008 was the pinnacle, the team finally breaking the Curse of Billy Penn and Chase Utley making his now iconic “World Fucking Champions” proclamation during the victory parade.
However, there were other moments that were just as memorable. Cliff Lee and his outstanding performance against the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. The Joe Blanton home run in the 2008 World Series and Jayson Werth's two home runs in the 2009 NLCS. And of course Shane Victorino's grand slam during the 2008 NLDS.
That all being said, one of the most beloved and remembered by many Phillies fans is Roy Halladay's perfect game on May 29, 2010.
Halladay came to the Phillies after a trade with the Blue Jays once the 2009 season ended. After years of postseason futility in Toronto, he was vocal that he wanted to play for a contender. He joined a formidable rotation that included Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, 2005 NLCS MVP Roy Oswalt, 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels and last but not least, Joe Blanton.
The rotation was quickly given the nickname The Four Aces (and Joe Blanton) and despite injuries and some inconsistent performances, for the most part they indeed lived up to the hype, especially Halladay. He would go on to be named to the All-Star Team for the seventh time and win the 2010 Cy Young Award.
No one knew what was coming when Halladay walked out to the mound just after seven on a warm Saturday night in Miami. He would throw 115 pitches, 72 of them strikes on the way to striking out 11 batters and retiring all 27 with no one reaching base. The final score was 1-0 and it was the second perfect game in Phillies history. It was also the second perfect game that was thrown that month, the other coming from Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics.
The legends around that game have only grown in the years since. That Halladay only shook off catcher Carlos Ruiz once during the entire game. That Halladay gave all the members of the Phillies, including the coaching staff, a Baume & Mercier watch that was personalized with the inscription “We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay.” That Sun Life Stadium had over 10,000 unused tickets since the attendance that night was only 25,000 and later sold them for face value to fans.
Then when Halladay threw a no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLDS in the same year, he went from Phillies legend to baseball immortality. And the funny part is that while today most Phillies fans can tell you exactly where they were when they saw Halladay throw his perfect game, more than likely they would be lying.
At that time the Marlins were a terrible baseball team. The Phillies were steamrolling over losing squads and since the game took place on a Saturday night, many fans might have decided to do something else. Add to that the fact that the Philadelphia Flyers were playing in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the same time and odds are most folks just weren't paying attention. However, that hasn't stopped plenty of people from explaining, in detail, where they were when they watched Phillies history happened if they are asked.
Ask fans who their favorite player was from that era of Phillies baseball and most will say Chase Utley or Ryan Howard or Jayson Werth. For me it was always Roy Halladay. He was only a member of the team for a very brief time, from 2010 until he retired in 2013, but he left an indelible impression.
Watching pitchers throw has always been fascinating to me. I love the mechanics of pitching. How a man can hurl a baseball over 90 miles an hour or make it look like it's going one way when it will actually go in a different direction. How much discipline and dedication it takes to be a pitcher.
Few had the same level of dedication as Halladay. He always searched for perfection and watching him be able to achieve it for one night was simply incredible. It made it all the more heartbreaking when he died in 2017.
Every year, usually around when baseball season starts, I watch the complete game. It's available on YouTube for free and should be required viewing for any pitcher who wants to get better or any fan of baseball history. It shows a master of his craft at the height of his skills doing the nearly impossible.
On an unassuming May evening in 2010, Roy Halladay achieved perfection. Which is what he always strived to do.
I was in HS/college during the Phils’ last run. Going to CBP and following the team then was magical.