Roy Halladay spun a two-hit gem through eight innings during a 1-0 Opening Day win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, settling down after allowing consecutive singles to open the game.

It was the type of start the Phillies have come to expect from Halladay.

"He got on a roll and he definitely wasn't making any mistakes. He was putting the ball exactly where he wanted it to go, he was making them hit what he wanted them to hit," explained manager Charlie Manuel.

"I felt like I got a little better as the game went on, a little bit more of a groove," Halladay said. "The tempo helped, but any time you're in a close game like that, every pitch is going to matter. Any pitch, any at-bat can change the outcome of the game, so that's always in mind -- but you're still just trying to simplify the game and make quality pitches."

For more from the Phillies on Halladay's dominant first start, click here or watch the video below: