Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Travis Wood. The kid may not have gotten the win, but he came within three outs of getting a perfect game. Settling for nine innings pitched of shutout baseball, allowing only one hit and no walks, and striking out eight is enough to earn JNMHSotG honors though. Cliff Lee couldn't have pitched any better. Honorable mentions go to Roy Halladay, who pitched nine shutout innings of his own, and Carlos Ruiz.
Key Plays
- It was a tense and classic pitching duel, so offense was at a premium. The Reds didn't do themselves any favors by twice erasing baserunners with double plays. They had two men on in the fourth with one out and couldn't score, but their best chance came in the eighth inning. Miguel Cairo led off with a double, and Drew Stubbs sacrificed him to third. Needing only a ball hit to the outfield, the newly returned Ryan Hanigan and Travis Wood both struck out.
- Travis Wood had been pitching a perfect game, but Carlos Ruiz hit a double to lead off the ninth inning. A standing ovation for Wood, who faced 24 batters and retired them all in a row. And he'd get 27 out of 28. Pinch hitter Wilson Valdez popped up a bunt foul for an out, pinch hitter Raul Ibanez flied out to center, and Jimmy Rollins fouled out to first, where Joey Votto made a nifty catch hanging over the camera well.
- For the third night in a row, the game went to extra innings. Jay Bruce led off the tenth with a double, and Miguel Cairo sacrificed him to third. Again, the Reds couldn't get the run home with less than two outs. Drew Stubbs walked, then stole second. Ryan Hanigan struck out looking. Pinch hitter Laynce Nix was intentionally walked to load the bases, and then Brandon Phillips flied out to center.
- With Bill Bray pitching in the eleventh inning, Carlos Ruiz hit his second double of the game with one out. Bray intenionally walked Wilson Valdez, and got pinch hitter Ross Gload to fly out. Bray had been pitching well, but Dusty Baker called in Logan Ondrusek to face Jimmy Rollins. Rollins of course singled, and the Reds lost their third straight game in a walk off in extra innings, 1-0.
Other Notes
- This is the first time the Phillies have won three straight extra inning games in walkoff fashion.
- This was only Travis Wood's third start of his career. Of the 28 batters he faced, only three of them even got as many as three balls in the count.
- The last Red to throw nine scoreless innings and get a no decision was Tom Browning, coincidentally the only Red to also throw a perfect game.
- For a potent offense, the Reds have been shut out nine times this year.