Halladay finally gets to make postseason debut

PHILADELPHIA - Roy Halladay spent plenty of Octobers at home, wishing for this opportunity.

The ace righthander has been to seven All-Star Games, won a Cy Young Award, pitched a perfect game and compiled an impressive resume in his 13-year career. But the one thing he hasn't crossed off his to-do list is pitch in a postseason game.

Until now.

Halladay will take the ball when the Phillies host the Reds in Game 1 of their NL Division Series today.

"It's definitely something I'm looking forward to," Halladay said yesterday. "It's a great challenge. It's something I've wanted to do my whole career, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity."

Edinson Volquez will start for the NL Central champion Reds, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Volquez came back from right elbow surgery and went 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 12 starts.

"For me, it's something really big," he said. "I was out for one year and came back from Tommy John surgery. This is the first game of the playoffs. It's something big. Really big."

After 12 seasons playing for Toronto in a division dominated by the Yankees and Red Sox, Halladay desperately wanted to join a legitimate contender. He nearly got the chance last year, but a trade to Philadelphia fell through before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

The Phillies acquired Cliff Lee instead and he nearly led them to a second straight World Series title. Lee was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts, getting the team's only two wins in the World Series against the Yankees.

Halladay watched the Series with more interest than usual because he was nearly a part of it, and to see his ex-teammate, A.J. Burnett, pitch for the Yankees.

"You're always catching up on it. You may not sit and watch every single inning like I probably did last year," Halladay said. "I think everybody who is not there is envious of the guys who are."

Halladay was so intent on playing for a championship-caliber club that he passed up a chance to test free agency after this season and potentially get the richest contract ever for a pitcher.

Instead, the big righthander signed a three-year, $60-million extension from the Phillies after they completed a trade with the Blue Jays last December.

Once Philadelphia became a reality, Halladay never considered going anywhere else.

"The contract was never a factor for me," he said. "The biggest thing for me was going somewhere that had a chance to compete for a couple years, and being able to do that as soon as possible."