15 years after Doc's NLDS no-hitter, a special 1st pitch in Philly

PHILADELPHIA -- It was 15 years ago that the late Roy Halladay teamed up with legendary catcher Carlos Ruiz for just the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history.

On Monday night, another Halladay -- Roy's son, Braden -- took that same mound at Citizens Bank Park to throw a ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 2 of the Phillies' National League Division Series showdown against the Dodgers. He was joined on the field by his brother, Ryan.

Behind the plate to catch Braden's pitch? You guessed it: Chooch.

"The opportunity to be back here and to relive everything my dad did and to get to kind of experience it -- it almost feels like I'm back here with him," Braden said. "Any opportunity to get to do that is obviously incredible."

Halladay's no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Reds on Oct. 6, 2010, is a moment that trio of Braden, Ryan and Ruiz will remember forever -- albeit each from a very different perspective.

"It's crazy how time flies," Ruiz said via an interpreter. "Obviously, those moments are in your mind, they're in your heart. It was such a great honor to be part of his moment, and obviously, being here today and being able to catch for his son is a great honor, as well."

Braden, meanwhile, recalled a very specific memory from that day -- one from long before Ruiz sprung out from behind the plate to field the ball and fire it to Ryan Howard for the final out.

"I remember I got on the Jumbotron in the fourth inning and that made my night," Braden said. "In like the sixth or seventh inning, I started to kind of realize what was going on, and I was more nervous than I was today for the rest of the night. Pretty incredible."

As for Ryan, he was a bit distracted. It was, after all, the eve of his sixth birthday.

"For me, see, I love baseball, but it was always my dad's work," Ryan said. "I'm not sure exactly how to word it, but I just knew it was my dad's work and I was tired, it was late at night, I knew my birthday was the next day -- and I was restless. So, I was actually just sitting in the kids room."

And while Braden was sweating it out in the later innings ...

"I didn't know what happened until after the game," Ryan said. "All I knew was we were going to the aquarium that night for my birthday, and that's all I could think about. I didn't care much about anything else."

The first pitch idea came together quickly after the Phillies recently reached out to the Halladays -- but even they didn't know Ruiz was going to be on hand to catch the pitch until the morning of Game 2.

"We couldn't have had anyone better to do it," Ryan said. "If you could have asked for anyone, we would have picked Chooch 10 out of 10 times. So, it was perfect."

Braden was grateful for another reason.

"I'm glad it was him, so he could go up and get the pitch," Braden joked about his offering that may have come in just above the zone.

Braden has remained close to the game following Roy's death in 2017. The former played baseball at Penn State and was later drafted by the Blue Jays -- another one of his dad's former teams -- in the 32nd round of the 2019 Draft. He spent this past spring working for the Clearwater Threshers -- the Phillies’ Single-A affiliate -- before completing an internship this summer as a data apprentice for the Texas Rangers.

He's not sure what comes next, but Monday night provided yet another memorable moment on the diamond for the Halladay family.

And it was only fitting to share it with Ruiz.

"Being here with Roy's sons and getting to see his wife as well, I hold that near to my heart," Ruiz said. "I just want them to know they're always going to have a special place in my heart as well."