Major League Baseball

Was no-hitter Philly's top sports moment? No, but it ranks high

Published Oct. 8, 2010 10:46 a.m. ET

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The rally towels and hearts had hardly stopped fluttering when the search began for some perspective on Roy Halladay's National League division series no-hitter.

Had we witnessed the rarest of baseball feats? Had there ever been a night like this in Philly? How remarkable has Halladay's 2010 season been?

Well, with an off day to ponder its significance, here's an attempt at some answers:

Was it the greatest moment in Philadelphia sports history?

That's what Mike Schmidt said Thursday morning on ESPN. And in the heady aftermath of Game 1 - Halladay called it "surreal" - it was easy to agree. But, a day later, I suspect it was No. 3, at best.

In terms of citywide impact, the Phillies' first World Series championship, on Oct. 21, 1980, had it beat. After a 97-year drought, an absolutely riveting postseason, and the Bob Boone-to-Pete Rose pop-up catch moments before, the explosion of joy and relief that followed Tug McGraw's Game 6-ending strikeout of Willie Wilson will be tough to match. It's kind of how Boston felt in 2004.

As far as any single athletic achievement in Philadelphia goes, Halladay's certainly ranks high. But until another NBA player scores 100 - or 90, or even 82 - nothing can top Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point night in 1962.

Still, there's something about Halladay's accomplishment that makes it feel weightier.

The difference, of course, is that unlike the ballyhoo surrounding the Phillies pitcher's no-hitter, Chamberlain's feat wasn't televised, wasn't covered by any big papers, and was witnessed by only 4,124 fans in tiny Hershey.

Since Halladay has done both in 2010, what's rarer, a perfect game or a postseason no-hitter? Well, since only Halladay and Don Larsen have done it, the tendency is to say it's the latter. But it isn't. Not by a long shot.

There have been roughly 200,000 major-league games since 1876 and only 20 perfect games. Since two pitchers in each game have an opportunity, that means a perfecto happens only once every 20,000 chances.

Meanwhile, counting World Series since 1903, League Championship Series since 1969, and league division series since 1995, there have been 1,245 postseason games. With two pitchers in each, that's 2,490 chances. Two have done it. So the chances are 1-in-1,245.

So if Halladay's May 29 perfecto felt a little more special, it truly was.

Which of Halladay's pitching gems was the greater performance?Given the circumstances, you'd have to go with Wednesday night's no-hitter.

A sold-out stadium. A playoff game. A five-game series. National TV. The crowd and the media all expecting a victory.

That's a far cry from Game 48 of a 162-game regular season on May 29 before an announced crowd of 25,086 in the Florida Marlins' Miami mausoleum.

A single walk on a 3-2 pitch isn't enough to bridge that pressure gap.

Conceding Halladay's is the greatest, what's the second-best postseason pitching performance in Phillies history? Nothing comes remotely close to Halladay's no-hitter, but there are a couple of obvious candidates for No. 2.

In Game 1 of the '50 Series, Jim Konstanty, the Phillies' closer, was the surprise starter, even though he'd done nothing but come out of the bullpen all season. Against a Yankees team that would win the second of five consecutive World Series, Konstanty allowed just one run and four hits in eight innings of a 1-0 New York win.

In Game 1 of the '83 NLCS, Steve Carlton shut down the Dodgers, allowing seven hits and no runs and striking out six in 72/3 innings of a 1-0 Phillies win.

In Game 5 of the '93 World Series, with the Phils facing elimination, Curt Schilling shut out Toronto, 2-0, at Veterans Stadium, allowing five hits and striking out 10 in a gutsy, 147-pitch performance.

In Game 1 of the '08 NLDS, 24-year-old Cole Hamels allowed two hits and struck out nine over eight innings as the Phillies defeated Milwaukee, 3-1.

In Game 1 of the '09 NLDS, Cliff Lee yielded six hits and one run in a nine-inning 5-1 victory as the Phillies jumped ahead of Colorado.

In Game 2 of the '09 NLCS, soon-to-be 38-year-old Pedro Martinez threw seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits. But the Phillies' bullpen surrendered a pair of runs in the eighth, and L.A. won its only game in the series, 2-1.

In Game 1 of the '09 World Series, Lee threw a complete game against the Yankees, striking out 10 and allowing six hits in a 6-1 victory.

Has any pitcher besides Halladay thrown a no-hitter in both the regular season and postseason the same year?Well, the only other one who had the possibility of doing so was Larsen. And he not only didn't throw another no-hitter in '56, he never came close throughout a lackluster 15-year career. Larsen won 11 games in '56, a career high, and in one season posted a 3-21 record.

In all, four other pitchers have thrown two no-hitters in the same regular season - Johnny Vander Meer in 1938, Allie Reynolds in 1951, Virgil Trucks in 1952, and Nolan Ryan in 1973.

Of those pitchers, only Reynolds reached the postseason, with the '51 Yanks. He went 1-1 as the Yanks beat the Giants in six games. In his victory, Reynolds allowed two runs on eight hits.

Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068 or at ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com.

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