Top Moment #20: Halladay Out Groins Timmy, Phillies Stay Alive

Beat me once, good for you. Beat me twice, ha nice try.

Roy Halladay took the mound for Game 5 of the National League Champion Series to face little Timmy Lincecum in a rematch of Game 1. Lincecum and the Giants beat Halladay in the opener at Philadelphia. Halladay made sure it wasn’t going to happen again.

This was a game the Phillies had to win to keep any hope alive of winning the World Series.  They were down 3-1 and playing in San Francisco.  A win would force the game back to Philly.  Halladay would not disappoint.

However, the game didn’t start off the way he had hoped.  For the first time all season, Halladay walked the leadoff hitter.  It was the first of two walks Halladay allowed laboring through six innings with an apparent groin injury.  In between innings Halladay was riding the stationary bike to stay loose.  Halladay’s velocity was down all game and he threw 108 pitches, a high count for just six innings of work.

The Phillies started hitting in the third inning.  Halladay helped himself out by laying down a perfect bunt and advancing Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez to second and third.  One error later and the Phillies were back on top 2-1.  A Placido Polanco RBI single gave Halladay a two run cushion.

Jayson Werth put the Phillies back up by two in the ninth inning that sent many Giants fans heading for the exit and the Phillies heading back to Philadelphia for Game 6.

This is just one of those games you look back on and say ‘Yeah, that’s Roy Halladay.’  He continues to amaze Phillies fans with his gutsy performances.  After the game this is what Charlie Manuel had to say about his Cy Young starter, “Of course, he stayed in there.  He was determined he was going to stay in there.”