KIDWCKED
03-05-2010, 12:06 AM
c\p from espn
Associated Press
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- If first impressions are important to baseball fans in Philadelphia, new Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay aced his entry exam.
Halladay's spring debut with the Phillies did nothing to kill the buzz that engulfed Philadelphia when the team dealt for the former Cy Young Award winner three months ago.
Halladay got the Grapefruit League schedule under way with two near-perfect innings in the Phillies' 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Halladay threw a pair of hitless innings while striking out three. Halladay was at the crux of a blockbuster four-team set of trades in December between the Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.
"I was excited for it," said Halladay, who spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. "You anticipate it, but once you get into the game, the game is always the same. Your approach is the same. I looked forward to it, especially early on. It's as much fun for me as it is for everyone else."
Halladay allowed just one base runner in his first outing with the Phillies. New York's Jamie Hoffmann, playing first base after Nick Johnson was scratched before the game with a back ailment, reached on an error by Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco with one out in the first.
Halladay struck out the next batter, Jorge Posada, before getting Robinson Cano out on a fly ball to end the inning. Halladay struck out Nick Swisher and Randy Winn to begin a 1-2-3 inning.
"He's filthy," said New York ace CC Sabathia.
Sabathia wasn't too bad himself in his first game since the World Series. He allowed two walks and two hits but kept zeros on the scoreboard through two innings.
But even the jovial, giant Sabathia couldn't overshadow Halladay's debut.
"He's a strike-throwing machine who knows how to locate, with movement," said New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who saw plenty of Halladay last season in the American League East.
"He's a master of the strike zone," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's got good stuff, an assortment of pitches and he can throw them all for strikes. And he's got confidence in all of his pitches."
Associated Press
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- If first impressions are important to baseball fans in Philadelphia, new Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay aced his entry exam.
Halladay's spring debut with the Phillies did nothing to kill the buzz that engulfed Philadelphia when the team dealt for the former Cy Young Award winner three months ago.
Halladay got the Grapefruit League schedule under way with two near-perfect innings in the Phillies' 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Halladay threw a pair of hitless innings while striking out three. Halladay was at the crux of a blockbuster four-team set of trades in December between the Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.
"I was excited for it," said Halladay, who spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. "You anticipate it, but once you get into the game, the game is always the same. Your approach is the same. I looked forward to it, especially early on. It's as much fun for me as it is for everyone else."
Halladay allowed just one base runner in his first outing with the Phillies. New York's Jamie Hoffmann, playing first base after Nick Johnson was scratched before the game with a back ailment, reached on an error by Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco with one out in the first.
Halladay struck out the next batter, Jorge Posada, before getting Robinson Cano out on a fly ball to end the inning. Halladay struck out Nick Swisher and Randy Winn to begin a 1-2-3 inning.
"He's filthy," said New York ace CC Sabathia.
Sabathia wasn't too bad himself in his first game since the World Series. He allowed two walks and two hits but kept zeros on the scoreboard through two innings.
But even the jovial, giant Sabathia couldn't overshadow Halladay's debut.
"He's a strike-throwing machine who knows how to locate, with movement," said New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who saw plenty of Halladay last season in the American League East.
"He's a master of the strike zone," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's got good stuff, an assortment of pitches and he can throw them all for strikes. And he's got confidence in all of his pitches."