Inexperience proves costly as Halladay allows walk in debut

The Phillies offense was able to bail Roy Halladay out of a fifth inning walk as the staff ace’s lack of experience caught up to him in his postseason debut.

Halladay looked visibly shaken as he struggled with his command against Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, but superb defense and several clutch hits propelled the Phillies to a 4-0 win in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

“Roy’s a professional and will be just fine for us,” manager Charlie Manuel said when asked if he was concerned about Halladay. “I just told him to try and put this outing behind him and forget about the walk. No one expected him to be perfect out there.”

Manuel added that with the experience Halladay gained in his first start, he should have the confidence he needs to “learn from his mistake and pitch better in his next start.”