Almost exactly a year ago, Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson squared off in Miami, and Halladay threw a perfect game to beat the Marlins 1-0.
Phillies Vs. Marlins: This Time, Florida Wins Johnson-Halladay Duel
In the first inning, Johnson and Halladay both zipped through 1-2-3 innings; Johnson needed only 10 pitches to dispatch the Phillies, Halladay a dozen to retire the Marlins.
Dreams of a double no-hitter died quickly, though, when Ryan Howard led off the second inning with an opposite-field home run, his eighth of the season. And moments later the Phillies had Johnson on the ropes after Raul Ibanez doubled, Johnson plunked Ben Francisco, and Pete Orr walked to load the bases. Johnson escaped the inning by striking out Dane Sardinha and Halladay, then retiring Jimmy Rollins on a grounder to second.
The Phillies would not score again.
The Marlins got on the board in the bottom of the third, thanks to perhaps the least likely thing that happened on a baseball field Tuesday: With one out and nobody on, Halladay walked Johnson. According to Jayson Stark, it was the first time in Halladay’s storied career that he’d walked a pitcher.
Johnson moved to third on Chris Coghlan's hustle double, and subsequently trotted home to tie the game on Emilio Bonifacio's long sacrifice fly to center field.
From there, Johnson and Halladay both were exceptionally stingy. In the top of the seventh, Johnson struck out Ryan Howard with a runner on base to end the inning; having thrown 114 pitches, Johnson’s evening was over.
Halladay's wasn't. He cruised through the bottom of the seventh and -- after Mike Dunn stymied the Phils in the top of the eighth -- came out for the bottom of the eighth. Omar Infante led off with a grounder to shortstop ... and reached safely on Jimmy Rollins' throwing error. And after Infante moved to second on Halladay's wild pitch and to third on Ozzie Martinez's grounder to second, he scored the go-ahead run on Coghlan's single to center.
That was all the Marlins would get, and all they would need. In the top of the ninth, Marlins closer Leo Nunez struck out pinch-hitter Ross Gload, walked pinch-hitter John Mayberry, and retired Rollins and Shane Victorino on grounders to end the game and push the Marlins to within two games of the first-place Phillies in the National League East standings.
The series continues Wednesday night with another attractive pitching match-up, Cliff Lee vs. Ricky Nolasco.
To read more about the Marlins and Phillies, please visit Fish Stripes and The Good Phight.
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