Leave it to the Phillies – and Doc Halladay - to finish Game 1 with a bang. If beating the Reds 4-0 in the first game of the NLDS wasn’t even for Philadelphia to hang its collective hats, then maybe it was Roy Halladay’s historic performance that did the trick.

The pitching phenom managed to throw only the second postseason no-hitter in history Wednesday night. Just days before the 54th anniversary of Don Larsen’s no-hitter, Halladay hurled 104 pitches, none of which the Reds could come close to turning into runs.

SI.com’s Michael Bamberger talks about being in Citizens Bank Park when Halladay rang in his watershed pitching moment after retiring Brandon Phillips. As in other games, Halladay’s slow, deliberate style was evident in his face-off against the Reds, a team unable to get more than just a walk for right fielder Jay Bruce in the fifth.

"It's surreal, it really is," Halladay said. "I just wanted to pitch here, to pitch in the postseason. To go out and have a game like that, it's a dream come true."

The Reds will have a chance to avenge their embarrassing series opener on Friday in Philadelphia for Game 2. In the meantime, there is plenty of baseball playoff action to dive into.

Game 2 action:

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays (2:37 p.m., ET) – Things aren’t looking so great for the Rays after a 5-1 loss at the hands of Cliff Lee and the Rangers. They will need an impressive performance from pitcher James Shields to make an impact in Game 2.

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins (6:07 p.m., ET) – The Yanks beat out the Twins in a 4-0 victory Wednesday night. The Twins will have to find a way to counteract Andy Pettitte’s stellar pitching to have a shot at evening the series 1-1.

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants (9:37 p.m., ET) – The Braves and Giants will open their playoffs tonight at AT&T Park. Tim Lincecum is slated to take the mound for the Giants in this best-of-five matchup.

By The Numbers

40 – Age at which Dallas point guard Jason Kidd is hoping to play until. With a spot on the All-Star team and an average 9.1 assists last season, Kidd’s performance is already bringing back memories of 40-year-old Utah player John Stockton’s stellar play later in his career.

$16 million – Amount of the option the Cardinals exercised to pick up slugger Albert Pujols. There was little doubt that Pujols would be sticking around with the Cardinals after leading the NL with 42 home runs and a 118 RBI in 2010. The Cardinals also said the vesting option for left-handed reliever Trevor Martin has been met, placing him under contract for the 2011 season.

2 – Number of weeks Dwayne Wade may be sidelined due to his right hamstring injury. One part of Miami’s Big Three, Wade surprised fans as he left the Heat’s preseason debut a mere 3 minutes, 17 seconds into the game. There has been no definitive announcement about when Wade will return.