Kuzul

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay completely dominated the Cincinnati Reds on his way to the second no-hitter ever thrown in postseason history, and one thought came to mind: He simply made it look easy.

The last 25 years of postseason baseball have brought many thrilling plays, and while many of them could be best-of-all-time contenders, none of them compares to the performance that Roy Halladay delivered today.

By its very definition, a postseason no-hitter ranks among the best events in overall baseball history itself, particularly when you consider that it had previously been achieved one time.

In October 1956, Don Larsen threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, becoming the only pitcher to achieve the feat.

Fifty-four years have passed since that historic event, and dozens of no-hitters and even a few perfect games have been achieved since then. However, none of them were thrown in postseason play.

Halladay also becomes the first pitcher in 37 years to throw two no-hitters in the same season, matching the mark set by Hall-of-Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.

There is also the game itself, and his accomplishments during the game made it indeed special to watch.

Halladay threw 104 pitches, 79 for strikes, a whopping 76 percent strike to ball ratio. That in itself is masterful.

Halladay went 0-2 to 11 batters, literally freezing Reds hitters with an array of fastballs, sinkers, and devastating curveballs.

The most incredible statistic of the night was that he threw 23 of 27 first-pitch strikes. Not only was he showing that his command was on target, it also showed confidence in his defense behind him.

The only hard-struck ball hit off Halladay all game was in the third inning when Reds pitcher Travis Wood lined out to Jayson Werth in short right field.

This was a masterpiece of epic proportions. Halladay, who had won 169 career games before making his debut in the postseason, was almost stoic in his responses after the game.

“It’s surreal, it really is,” Halladay said. “I just wanted to pitch here, to pitch in the postseason. To go out and have a game like that, it’s a dream come true.”

And, in usual Halladay fashion, he preferred to give the credit to his catcher, Carlos Ruiz.

“I felt like we got in a groove early,” Halladay said. “Carlos has been great all year, he helps me get into a rhythm early, throwing strikes.”

Throw strikes he did, and we were witness to an event that has only happened twice in 107 years of postseason play. That in itself truly makes this the single greatest achievement in the last 25 years of postseason play.

Doug is a featured columnist for Examiner.com and Green Celebrity Network.

For breaking updates in the world of sports, follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Part 3 of 7

Although the Phillies have a league-wide reputation as an offensive powerhouse, their numbers were down across the board this season. Appearances can be deceiving. 

A peek at the rankings suggests that the Phillies might take a back seat to other playoff teams in terms of offensive output.  

The Cincinnati Reds lead the National League in runs, batting average (.270), home runs (181), and slugging percentage (.434.)

Although in-season acquisitions have bolstered their run production, both the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres are built around pitching. Similarly, the Atlanta Braves rely more on pitching than offense to win games. 

Although the presence of the designated hitter makes comparisons between the two leagues difficult, all four American League clubs have posted impressive offensive statistics this season. The AL contenders have varying formulas, but each of them ranks in the top five in runs scored. 

When it comes to the 2010 Philadelphia Phillies, though, the stat sheets don’t tell the true story. Sometimes there is truth in the old adage “figures lie and liars figure” and this is a prime example.  

For the past several seasons, the Phillies reigned at the top of league rankings with their high octane offense. 

The previous two seasons placed them first in home runs. Last year, they captured that distinction by a large margin, clubbing 34 more than the next National League  team. 

As further validation that the Phillies have been built for the long ball, they ranked one or two in slugging percentage over the past four campaigns. 

And, in the true measure of offensive prowess, the Phils ranked first or second in runs scored each of the previous five seasons. 

In 2010, Philadelphia’s home run production currently sits 61 dingers behind that of a year ago. It is safe to say, regardless of any further exploits by Ben Francisco, John Mayberry, or Mike Sweeney in the regular season’s last three games, the final tally will be a very large drop-off. 

After a strong stretch run, they have climbed the rankings a bit in runs scored, but will likely finish third. 

Statistics and rankings aside, though, this is probably the team’s most dangerous lineup in the current era of prosperity. 

The recorded numbers mask the lineup’s true offensive potential as well as the level of anxiety it stirs amongst opposing hurlers. 

Just ask Jonathan Broxton.

The reason that the numbers seem not to align, of course, is simple—Phillies regulars logged an inordinate amount of time in the training room this year. 

The injury impact on the statistics has been two-fold. The most obvious has been the lost production associated with the roughly 200 games that regulars have not stepped on the playing field due to physical ailments.   

And, then, when players returned to action, their productivity suffered from inactivity and an often compromised physical state. This was most notable with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins as they struggled to regain their swings. 

And, I would be remiss not to mention that Howard’s stint on the DL and subsequent recovery non-fortuitously coincided with the stretch of season that has historically been his own personal fireworks display. 

The way this season has gone, it would be foolish to rule out anymore physical setbacks. That notwithstanding, though, it is the Phillies’ good fortune— and opponents’ ill fortune—that the lineup is set to be intact for the postseason.  

And, as good as the Reds hit all year, this Phillies lineup as it was conceived in the offseason is the gold standard. 

It possesses the rare combination of game changing speed and power capable of alternately intimidating opposing hurlers while instilling confidence in its own. 

Count this Phillies potent offense as another key October advantage. It appears poised to do some postseason damage. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a good place. It’s a place most young kids, high school standouts, and college athletes covet.

The sporting pinnacle.

You’re on a team—your own team—that you helped build with your own hands and you are enjoying success year after year.

This is what Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and the rest of the gang are experiencing now.

They’ve clinched four straight National East crowns, and they find themselves standing alone at the top of the mountain as the hottest team in the MLB.

They’ve even held the league’s best record for a good part of the final stretch this year.

It’s hard to bet against the Phillies right now, with so much going well for them.

Among many different things that work in their favor, I was able to consolidate them into 12 different things, beginning with…

Begin Slideshow

Are you hurting in the RBI category? Here are some reasonably available players that can help you out.

Matt Joyce, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Joyce had 14 RBIs over the past 15 days while hitting .286 with 8 runs and 4 HR. On the year he’s hitting .244 with 13 runs, 5 HR, and 20 RBI in 31 games. Matt is owned in three percent of ESPN and 11 percent of CBS leagues.

Chris Johnson, 3B, Houston Astros
Johnson had 13 RBI over the past 15 days while hitting .449 with nine runs, 4 HR, and one SB. On the year he’s hitting .343 with 17 runs, 4 HR, 23 RBI, and two SB in 40 games. Chris is owned in 25 percent of ESPN and 44 percent of CBS leagues.

Neil Walker, 2B/3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Walker had 10 RBI over the past 15 days while hitting .345 with 5 runs and 2 HR. On the year he’s hitting .300 with 27 runs, 5 HR, 26 RBI, and two SB in 53 games. Neil is owned in 26 percent of ESPN and 52 percent of CBS leagues.

Ian Desmond, SS, Washington Nationals
Desmond had nine RBIs over the past 15 days while hitting .295 with 7 runs, one HR, and one SB. On the year he’s hitting .260 with 38 runs, seven HR, 45 RBI, and nine SB. Ian is owned in eight percent of ESPN and 32 percent of CBS leagues.

Carlos Ruiz, C, Philadelphia Phillies
Ruiz had seven RBI over the past 15 days while hitting .310 with four runs and a HR. On the year he’s hitting .282 with 22 runs, three HR, and 20 RBI. Carlos is owned in three percent of ESPN and 29 percent of CBS leagues.

Also check out:
– Fantasy Baseball Box Score Breakouts 8/2/10
– Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitcher Option for 8/3/10

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The injury bug continues to bite at the Phillies as another starter is down and could miss a few days after Carlos Ruiz sprained his right knee Wednesday against the Rockies.

Ruiz initially injured the knee making a tag at the plate, then aggravated it trying to run from first to third on a base hit by Wilson Valdez in the fourth inning. He made it to third safely, but immediately began grasping at his knee and had to be replaced by Paul Hoover.

Hoover then caught the rest of the game because Brian Schneider, originally the backup catcher, is on the 15-day DL with a strained left achilles.

Ruiz, however, doesn’t seem worried about it, saying, “It is not serious, it’s sore.” The slight sprain isn’t expected to land Ruiz on the DL and it’s possible he won’t even miss a start.

“We have an off-day tomorrow, so this is good news,” Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “We’ll just have to play it by ear, but it’s not a DL situation.”

The Phillies also said there are no plans to bring in another catcher if Ruiz is unable to go. Were they to be faced with the worst-case scenario of Hoover also going down, Jayson Werth would step in as the emergency catcher.

Ben Francisco would likely take over at right field.

Ruiz joins Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, J.A. Happ, Jimmy Rollins, Juan Castro, and Schneider as the guys bit by the injury bug. If it gets loose on anyone else in the Phillies’ locker-room, it could mean trouble—especially with the Nats and Mets playing well so far.

But, if it was going to bite at any time, May is certainly the time to do it rather than August or September.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com