There is no question that Cliff Lee is one of the better starting pitchers in baseball. His 17-8 record, 2.40 ERA, 238 strikeouts and 6 shutouts of 2011 is Cy Young worthy. As he approached free agency after the 2010 season, much was made of the team that signs Cliff Lee being the "team to beat" in the 2011 season. Of course the Yankees were offering every last dollar to bring him to the Bronx. Even the Rangers, not known for being huge spenders with their new ownership group, (Tom Hicks threw a ton of money at A-Rod and Chan-Ho Park.) allocated enough funds to be able to keep him in Texas. And of course, the Phillies came in (whether it was at the last minute or a silent agreement all along) and signed Lee to a 5 year, $120 million deal giving the Phillies one of the best pitching rotations in the recent history of Major League Baseball. And with his signing, just like if he signed with the Yankees or Rangers, made the Phillies the favorites to win the World Series.
Its all because of Cliff Lee's track record, right? Though Lee has had some very good regular seasons, his last two postseasons have not been dominant. If you look at Lee's last three postseasons: 2009 Phillies lost in the World Series to the Yankees, (though not his fault, he pitched well all postseason) 2010 Rangers lost in the World Series to the Giants and the 2011 Phillies were eliminated in the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals. An optimist would say if the Cardinals win the World Series, Lee's teams have been eliminated by the World Series champion the last three years. That doesn't hide the fact that Lee hasn't brought championships. CC Sabathia helped the Yankees win a World Series. And while Lee pitched well in the 2009 postseason and in the 2010 NLDS and NLCS, he pitched poorly in the 2010 World Series against the Giants and in the NLDS against the Cardinals this year. In fact, he has lost his last 3 postseason starts and given up 14 runs in his last 17 2/3 innings pitched. (Less than 6 innings per start) In my mind, Cliff Lee will never be in the same catagory as Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, John Smoltz and Andy Pettitte until he wins a World Series. Things do look pretty bright for the Phillies again in 2012, but when will Cliff Lee's ability to win the big one come into question?
Its all because of Cliff Lee's track record, right? Though Lee has had some very good regular seasons, his last two postseasons have not been dominant. If you look at Lee's last three postseasons: 2009 Phillies lost in the World Series to the Yankees, (though not his fault, he pitched well all postseason) 2010 Rangers lost in the World Series to the Giants and the 2011 Phillies were eliminated in the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals. An optimist would say if the Cardinals win the World Series, Lee's teams have been eliminated by the World Series champion the last three years. That doesn't hide the fact that Lee hasn't brought championships. CC Sabathia helped the Yankees win a World Series. And while Lee pitched well in the 2009 postseason and in the 2010 NLDS and NLCS, he pitched poorly in the 2010 World Series against the Giants and in the NLDS against the Cardinals this year. In fact, he has lost his last 3 postseason starts and given up 14 runs in his last 17 2/3 innings pitched. (Less than 6 innings per start) In my mind, Cliff Lee will never be in the same catagory as Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, John Smoltz and Andy Pettitte until he wins a World Series. Things do look pretty bright for the Phillies again in 2012, but when will Cliff Lee's ability to win the big one come into question?
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