Perfect Doc

Phils' Halladay throws perfect game against Marlins

Roy Halladay pitched his way into history Saturday as he pitched the 20th perfect game in the history of baseball as the Phillies beat the Marlins.

On a night when most eyes in the City of Brotherly Love were on the Flyers playing in the Stanley Cup in Chicago, Doc was surgically cutting apart the Fish in Miami.

"It's never something that you think is possible," Halladay said.

Doc’s line -- no runs, no hits, no walks and no base runners on 115 pitches. 27 up and 27 down.

And just for good measure Doc struck out 11 Marlins.

"I don't know what to say," Halladay said. "Early in my bullpen I was hitting spots more than I have been. I felt like I just carried that out there."

He was the second Phillie ever to be perfect. Hall of Famer Jim Bunning threw a perfect game on Father's Day 1964 against the Mets. The last Phillies to pitch a no-hitter was Kevin Millwood in 2003.

Halladay credited catcher Carlos Ruiz for a smooth ride.

"We felt like we got in a groove early and about the the fifth or the sixth I was just following Chooch," he said. "I can't say enough about the job he did today. Mixed pitches. For me it was really a no-brainer."

They needed every bit of Halladay's perfection as the Phightins only managed to score one run on seven hits.

Doc outdueled Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson who allowed only an unearned run in seven innings.

But despite Johnson being good, Halladay was better.

It was nights like these that led Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. to give up a bevy of prospects and Cliff Lee (basically) to ensure Halladay could pitch in Philly.

It was the second perfect game in the majors this month alone, Dallas Braden doing it for Oakland against Tampa Bay back on May 9. It's the first time in the modern era that there were a pair of perfectos in the same season.

Congrats Doc -- what a "Halladay" weekend night.

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