NL East

So much for first postseason jitters.

On Wednesday night, the incomparable Roy Halladay set the bar even higher, cementing his name in the record books as he threw a no-hitter in game one of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds.

Halladay's performance was only the second no-hitter in postseason history, (Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956 world series the only other), and simultaneously marked the first time since 1973 (Nolan Ryan) that a pitcher completed two no-hitters in one season.

I've had so many people ask me what is was like to be there last night—I can't articulate it.

It's impossible.

After the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, it took me until the morning before the parade, the parade I had dreamed of for far too long, to realize that every sports game I'd ever attended, every game I'd ever watched, every dollar I'd ever spent, every hour of sleep I'd ever lost, and every ounce of energy I'd ever exhausted, was all for that day. That morning. That moment.

Yet again, the New York Mets have failed to fulfill their potential.  In the past four years, the Mets have seen four talented teams fail.  It has been a very tough stretch for the team and it's fans. 

But the Mets organization is trying to right the ship.  Not even a week into the team's off season, big changes have already been made.  Omar Minaya has lost his job as the Mets' general manager.  Manager Jerry Manuel has also been cut.

Over the course of a 162 game season, there are bound to be ups and downs. Some nights will be good, and some nights will be bad. For the Mets, 2010 was truly that roller coaster. At the end of April the Mets had a 9-1 home stand that had fans being reminded of the glorious year of 2006. However, as the season progressed mediocrity became their greatest enemy as fans waited on the edge of their seats for another major run that would never come to fruition.

In one of the most thrilling moments in postseason history—and what must be the most thrilling moment in divisional series history—Roy Halladay pitched the second postseason no-hitter in baseball history in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS on Wednesday night, becoming the first pitcher to pull off the feat since Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

But where does this feat rank amongst the top 10 postseason moments in Philadelphia Phillies history?

Let's take a look.

In the eyes of the Philadelphia Phillies, as good as Cliff Lee is, Roy Halladay would always trump him. On the first day of the 2010 MLB playoffs, “Doc” did that.

At last season’s trade deadline, the Phillies strongly pursued Halladay. The asking price was too high, so they “settled” on Lee.

Yesterday afternoon, as Roy Halladay was preparing for yesterday's NLDS opener, Cliff Lee was putting the finishing touches on another brilliant postseason pitching performance. 

Lee dominated the AL's most potent offense, striking out 10 Tampa Bay Rays batters while holding them to one run to give the Texas Rangers their first playoff win in 14 years. 

Baseball traditionalists never cede the high ground. From the supremacy of Babe Ruth to the joy of day baseball, there are many who just refuse to acknowledge the times when the modern game evolves far beyond the reaches of "Baseball's Golden Age."

Such entrenchment is nearly always myopic, and nowhere more so than in the recent insistence that Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series, performed a greater feat than Roy Halladay, who threw the second-ever no-hitter in playoff history Wednesday.

In order for a team to be successful in the playoffs, it is imperative that it has at least one dominant starting pitcher.

Each year, the winner of the World Series features one, if not a few starting pitchers who are capable of tossing eight innings of shutout ball on any given night.

Halladay did one better last night.

With his electrifying performance in Game 1 of the National League Division Series came visions of postseason dominance gone by. Here are the five greatest postseason pitching performances of all time.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Eric Hinske is a career .254 hitter who never batted .280, never slugged 25 home runs, never scored 100 runs, and never drove in 85 runs.

Making matters worse, all of his career highs in those categories came in his rookie season, possibly showing he peaked too early.

Stats aside, he couldn’t be more valuable to teams hoping to contend.