Roy Halladay, who threw a no-hitter in his first postseason start two weeks ago against the Cincinnati Reds, versus Tim Lincecum, a fellow CY Young award winner who whiffed eleven Atlanta Braves in his NLDS start. On paper, this pitching matchup couldn’t have been any better; one for the ages, and one where one run could be enough. The two aces had a combined 17 days rest entering their duel to begin the National League Championship Series, and the layoff showed. Especially in Halladay’s case, and Cody Ross made him pay.
After six outs were acquired rather easily by both starters, Ross digged in against Halladay trying to make life difficult. Enough with his dominance. We aren’t going to be his next victim. With one out, the waiver-wire, late-season pickup from the Florida Marlins looked out at the 33-year old right-handed and intimidating veteran, studied his windup, and watched a free-flowing fastball approached the plate. Halladay didn’t mean to throw the cutter where he did, as it moved to the plate’s inner half. Ross’s eyes widened. Figuratively licking his chops, Ross swung, put good wood on the ball, and admired its flight into the left-field seats.
Halladay was irate and Citizens Bank Ballpark was silent except for the faint cheers from those Giants fans who made the track. The pitch before was a curveball that looked awfully good, nipping the lower portion of the inside corner and the lowest portion of the strike-zone, but it was called a ball, forcing one of the game’s best arms to deal with an even count instead of an 0-2 advantage. If the umpire’s strike-zone wasn’t so tight, the third pitch would have presumably been different and placed differently. But there’s always the ‘What could have been?’ question in the either frustrating or extremely rewarding game of baseball.
Lincecum has made a 1-0 lead stand multiple times in his short, amazingly productive career. But this advantage didn’t last more than a few minutes, as Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz–whom some believe to be the best fastball hitter in the game–tagged an eye-level heater from Tiny Tim into the right-field seats. A tie game; both perceived immortals showing their human side.
The fifth inning came along rather quickly, as the two pitchers were workmanlike in their pace, and Ross came to bat. What transpired in the third inning was fresh in both Halladay and Ross’s minds, and then it was even fresher. Another inside pitch from Halladay, another mistake from Halladay, another almighty swing from Ross, and another souvenir for the fans in left. After hitting Halladay’s offering in nearly the exact same spot, the player who was only brought in by San Francisco to block the San Diego Padres attempted claim trotted around the bases to a smattering of cheers and a whole lot of silence. His second homer, identically struck to give the Giants the lead once more.
Tiny Tim out-pitched Doc Halladay in Philly.
This time, Lincecum didn’t immediately cough up the advantage. Tiny Tim, with long, flowing hair and an unorthodox delivery that is painfully deceptive for the opposition, worked his magic in the fifth, sending down the Phillies in order and compiling his fifth strikeout in the process. His bats rewarded him in the ensuing frame, as Halladay continued to throw like a pitcher who has had nine days off.
The first two hitters walked back to the dugout empty-handed, but then the fun began. Buster Posey, to the surprise of few, was the spark, ripping a single through the right-side to keep Halladay on the hill. Pat “The Bat” Burrell, who spent his first nine seasons in Philadelphia, helped them to a World Series title, and hit 254 homers for the club, was inexplicably booed by the fan-base that extremely under-appreciated him during his tenure there. Stepping to the plate against the team he had so much success with, he turned those boos into groans as a 1-2 fastball was crushed to left-field and evaded a leaping Raul Ibañez for a double. As he pulled into second he adamantly clapped his hands watching Posey scamper home. It was the all-important insurance run, and had he not been lifted for pinch-runner Nate Schierholtz a second wouldn’t have been tallied.
After the biggest hit of Burrell’s career to date, Juan Uribe followed with his, lacing a single into center that only someone with the speed of Schierholtz could have scored on. It was now 4-1. Halladay was off his game.
Lincecum wasn’t his sharpest either, but a telling statistic heightened the Giants confidence in him: in his career, when given four runs or more, Lincecum is a whopping 37-0. San Francisco had four to their name. Put a 38th win in the victory column, right? The Phillies made sure it wouldn’t be as easy as that.
Jayson Werth, their star outfielder, struck a fastball spun right down the pipe towards right field, shooting the ball with his amazingly compact swing the other way. Chase Utley, who was on first at the time, turned to watch it fly into the stands. Lincecum looked on also, and heard the jubilant cries from the 45,000-plus who filled the seats as the two-run homer fell amongst them. It was now 4-3, a tight ballgame once more.
But Lincecum, after reacting quite blandly to the bast, settled down to finish the sixth and get three outs in the seventh. The Giants still led by that score, and remained ahead by one entering the bottom of the ninth. Bearded closer Brian Wilson took the mound, ready to help finish what Lincecum started and give San Francisco the upset victory. Ibañez was first up the first down, staring at the eighth-pitch of the at-bat as it painted the outside corner for strike-three. Ruiz was next and was slightly nicked on the wrist with a 1-1 fastball and took his base. This was only a blip on Wilson’s scorecard, as he closed out the win by blowing fastballs by Ross Gload and Shane Victorino to strike out the side.
Halladay and Lincecum are seen as two evenly matched pitchers, but their teams are not. Philadelphia is the solid favorite, but the Giants tossed that presumption out the window. Just as they did all season to win the NL West crown, and just as they did in their gritty series against the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco played their game, receiving the run support they needed and the dominating start they expected to give the Phillies a hill to climb.
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Author and owner of the Swamigp’s Sports Blog, Nick loves to write about his hometown Portland Trail Blazers as well as the Boston Red Sox. 
Guess the Doc can’t get a no-hitter all the time.
With the offense the Phillies mustered he’ll have to if they want to win.