Doctober!

Sure, the moniker may well be overused by now and it's not even midnight. It's still October 6th, 2010. It will be the day Roy Halladay threw the 2nd no-hitter of his illustrious season, and the 2nd no-hitter ever hurled in postseason baseball. Is there any better way to make your debut in your first playoff appearance?

Tonight was a complicated night for me. By the 6th inning I was forced to leave for band practice, but damned was I reluctant. After the first 3 innings I knew something special was going to happen. During practice I realized the 9th inning was coming along so I stopped rehearsing with my band and migrated to my car to listen to the call. One popout, another popout, and a desperate throw later I was out of my car and in euphoria. Roy Halladay did it, a no hitter!

A couple plays stand out to me over the whole night, no-hitter aside. Travis Wood, the Cincinnati Reds' pitcher hit the hardest ball of the night, and nobody really would have suspected it. However Jayson Werth slid in with a nonchalant basket-catch that made my heart drop.

Next was the popup over the mound, where Ryan Howard and Valdez collided after deciding Ryan's height might make the easier play. That's still not as scary as the ball kicked off the mound right down the middle, until J-Roll caught it and threw a rocket to first.

The final out is probably always the scariest, we all know anything can happen after any pitch is thrown, but when I saw Ruiz couldn't make it off his knees for the throw I had my doubts. It was so fitting though, ending the game how it started and with the two key players that made this history happen. No way was Chooch going to let this slip for the Doc, none at all. With Howard's height coming in handy one more time, the ball was thrown right over Phillips' shoulder and into Ryan's glove. No sooner Carlos Ruiz and Roy Halladay are celebrating right off the mound, lost in cheers and rally towels at Citizens Bank Park.

Welcome to the postseason, Doc.