"When Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times" starts blaring over the sound system at Citizens Bank Park, Ryan Howard gets a little added adrenaline rush.

No, it's not because he loves the song that much.

It's because that song means the guy who is considered one of baseball's best pitchers is on the mound.

"I kind of feel like every time I watch [Roy Halladay] pitch it's like watching him pitch for the first time," Howard said. "It's always fun watching him pitch."

Add Sunday onto the already long list of good times.

Halladay threw his National League leading fifth complete game this season as the Phillies beat the Athletics 3-1.

The right-hander improved to 6-1 with a 2.44 ERA in 10 starts at home this season (the Phils are 9-1 in those starts). It was also the 63rd complete game of his career and the seventh time this year he's allowed one run or fewer.

It was the sixth time in his 17 starts that he didn't walk anyone, which certainly helped keep his pitch count down, to 113. Striking out only four, one more than his season-low (three, in a 9-0 loss to Milwaukee) enabled Halladay to last all nine innings.

"There was one six-pitch inning [in the sixth inning]," Halladay said. "Those are always important. I think sometimes that's the benefit of not striking guys out, if you can get guys on less pitches quicker you can get deeper [into the game]. I'd definitely take those games where you have four- or five-pitch innings; it allows you to add on an inning or two at the end.""