Halladay triumphs on Phillies debut
Source: Agencies |
April 7, 2010, Wednesday
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ROY Halladay, considered one of the game's top pitchers, struck out nine batters on Monday for a win on his debut with a Philadelphia Phillies team seeking a second World Series championship in three seasons.
After a shaky first inning where he allowed a single, a double, a stolen base and a run, Halladay settled down and never gave the Washington Nationals a chance to build on an early one-run lead as Philadelphia went on to win 11-1.
In a game where the ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by US President Barack Obama in front of a near-capacity crowd at Nationals Park in Washington DC, the home team was not able to build on its early lead.
The 32-year-old Halladay, a six-time all star and the 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner as top pitcher, allowed six hits and two walks through seven innings.
After giving up a double to Ivan Rodriguez to start the second inning, Halladay, with the help of some double plays, faced the minimum number of batters until the seventh inning.
Elsewhere in the National League, it was: Mets 7, Marlins 1; Cardinals 11, Reds 6; Pirates 11, Dodgers 5; Rockies 5, Brewers 3; Braves 16, Cubs 5; Diamondbacks 6, Padres 3; and Giants 5, Astros 2.
In the American League, it was: White Sox 6, Indians 0; Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4; Tigers 8, Royals 4; Mariners 5, Athletics 3; and Angels 6, Twins 3.
In Washington, the Phillies, who acquired Halladay during the offseason from Toronto for three prospects, blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning.
Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer while Shane Victorino and Halladay each knocked in a run. Victorino then scored on a Placido Polanco sacrifice fly.
The Phillies followed their two-run sixth inning with four more in the seventh as Polanco belted a two-out grand slam in a game he finished with a career-high six RBI.
The Nationals, who led the majors last year with 103 losses, fell to 2-4 in home openers since baseball returned to Washington in 2005.
Philadelphia is coming of two straight World Series appearances. The Phillies won it all against Tampa Bay in 2008 but lost to the New York Yankees last year.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have signed their right-handed ace pitcher Josh Beckett to a four-year deal, the team said on Monday.
Special place
Beckett, who led the team with 17 wins last season, said Boston's Fenway Park, Major League Baseball's oldest stadium, was a special place to play and felt the Boston organization helped make players' jobs as easy as possible. "The people I've talked to, there aren't a whole lot of other organizations out there that do that," Beckett, a twice All-Star, told a news conference at Fenway Park.
"Work in between starts, roundtable things, I could go on here but they make for a very ideal situation for a baseball player. It's really a good place to play."
The deal will keep Beckett with the Red Sox through the 2014 season. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
The 29-year-old, who was named MVP of the 2003 World Series when he played for the Florida Marlins, has been with the Red Sox since November 2005. He is 65-34 in 123 starts with Boston since the start of the 2006 season.
Beckett, drafted by the Marlins with the second pick in the first round on the 1999 draft, has posted a 106-68 record, 3.81 ERA, 1,331 strikeouts and 429 walks in his 229 MLB appearances.
(Agencies)
After a shaky first inning where he allowed a single, a double, a stolen base and a run, Halladay settled down and never gave the Washington Nationals a chance to build on an early one-run lead as Philadelphia went on to win 11-1.
In a game where the ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by US President Barack Obama in front of a near-capacity crowd at Nationals Park in Washington DC, the home team was not able to build on its early lead.
The 32-year-old Halladay, a six-time all star and the 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner as top pitcher, allowed six hits and two walks through seven innings.
After giving up a double to Ivan Rodriguez to start the second inning, Halladay, with the help of some double plays, faced the minimum number of batters until the seventh inning.
Elsewhere in the National League, it was: Mets 7, Marlins 1; Cardinals 11, Reds 6; Pirates 11, Dodgers 5; Rockies 5, Brewers 3; Braves 16, Cubs 5; Diamondbacks 6, Padres 3; and Giants 5, Astros 2.
In the American League, it was: White Sox 6, Indians 0; Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4; Tigers 8, Royals 4; Mariners 5, Athletics 3; and Angels 6, Twins 3.
In Washington, the Phillies, who acquired Halladay during the offseason from Toronto for three prospects, blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning.
Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer while Shane Victorino and Halladay each knocked in a run. Victorino then scored on a Placido Polanco sacrifice fly.
The Phillies followed their two-run sixth inning with four more in the seventh as Polanco belted a two-out grand slam in a game he finished with a career-high six RBI.
The Nationals, who led the majors last year with 103 losses, fell to 2-4 in home openers since baseball returned to Washington in 2005.
Philadelphia is coming of two straight World Series appearances. The Phillies won it all against Tampa Bay in 2008 but lost to the New York Yankees last year.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have signed their right-handed ace pitcher Josh Beckett to a four-year deal, the team said on Monday.
Special place
Beckett, who led the team with 17 wins last season, said Boston's Fenway Park, Major League Baseball's oldest stadium, was a special place to play and felt the Boston organization helped make players' jobs as easy as possible. "The people I've talked to, there aren't a whole lot of other organizations out there that do that," Beckett, a twice All-Star, told a news conference at Fenway Park.
"Work in between starts, roundtable things, I could go on here but they make for a very ideal situation for a baseball player. It's really a good place to play."
The deal will keep Beckett with the Red Sox through the 2014 season. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
The 29-year-old, who was named MVP of the 2003 World Series when he played for the Florida Marlins, has been with the Red Sox since November 2005. He is 65-34 in 123 starts with Boston since the start of the 2006 season.
Beckett, drafted by the Marlins with the second pick in the first round on the 1999 draft, has posted a 106-68 record, 3.81 ERA, 1,331 strikeouts and 429 walks in his 229 MLB appearances.
(Agencies)
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