One Way To Describe Cliff Lee’s Greatness
Dave · October 12, 2010 at 11:12 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Sandy Koufax, career, postseason:
57 innings, 32 hits, 10 runs, 2 home runs, 11 walks, 61 strikeouts
Cliff Lee, career, postseason:
56 1/3 innings, 32 hits, 11 runs, 1 home run, 6 walks, 54 strikeouts
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25 Responses to “One Way To Describe Cliff Lee’s Greatness”
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the best part of the post-season is the feeling I get when I realize that Cliff Lee is not a Yankee.
Rootin for the Rangers and Lee quite strongly, but scared that if they do well, Lee will be dicing up the AL West with a Texas star on his uniform for a while…
Wow, that deeply increases my disappointment that the Mariners season (offense) did not play out closer to expected/projected. If the Mariners could have just gotten in to the playoffs, the tandem of Felix and Lee would be formidable against any team. In any series.
If Lee signs with Texas, I envision at least one writer who’ll bring up how well Jose Lopez has hit off him, hinting that maybe we should hold onto Baby Steps for that reason…
I’m happy for Cliff Lee. He deserves this. It was sure a pleasure to watch him pitch in a Mariners’ uniform for part of the season – I just wish we hadn’t sucked so badly.
My only regret about Cliff Lee — I wish the headline in the Dallas paper this morning about Cliff Lee didn’t read:
“Rangers’ trade for Cliff Lee was best deal in franchise history,”
but that instead it read:
“Rangers’ gave up a lot for Cliff Lee, but it was still the best deal in franchise history.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/101310dnsporanghornsbits.2cb30e9.html
That’s a ridiculous headline in the Dallas News anyway…seems like mostly a shot at Smoak, who they seem to think they dumped on us just in time or something, with a side of daterape. Is it still the best trade in team history if they lose to the Yankees in 5 games and Lee signs elsewhere this winter? To me that would kinda prove it was a dubious trade.
Nice Dave. That says it all.
Is it too late to fantasize that the Phillies will find an extra few dozen million under a rock to bring Lee back to them?
Do I need to resign myself to Lee being either a Yankee or a Ranger for the next 4 to 6 years?
For a franchise that’s never been to the ALCS, and wouldn’t be there without Lee? Yes, I’d say it’s worth it. Even if he’s gone next year.
One day I hope the Mariners are in a position where it makes sense to trade for a player like Lee that can get them to the ALCS. Even if it’s only for one year.
Koufax was the best pitcher I had seen in my life until I saw Lee and I see them as equals. They were/are very special indeed. Lee may not have Felix’s stuff but he has grit and I love(d) watching them pitch. After he beats the Yankees they will have to outbid everyone for him. Which is a preferred outcome to the Rangers keeping him.
I’d disagree with that. If they are bounced in the ALCS, and Cliff splits, and Smoak reaches his potential, I would call that headline pre-mature.
Does that make the Salomon Torres trade in 1995 the best ever for the Mariners? Or perhaps it was the Andy Benes deal at the deadline?
Making the ALCS for the first time isn’t all that exciting 15 years later.
In a way, didn’t we pretty much make that same trade this offseason (although it didn’t work out)
One other stat…looking through the Baseball Encyclopedia (the edition I have at home was published in 1995, so I’m missing the last few years) last night, the best strikeout to walk ratio in a single post-season series I could find was Mike Scott’s 19/1. Christy Mathewson had an 18/1. The most strikeouts with no walks was 12, by Schoolboy Rowe. Lee had 21 and 0.
Even if Lee wins the series with the Rangers, I have trouble envisioning him in Texas next year.
Does he really want to stay in such a hitter’s park? It was clear he struggled a lot more in the Texas heat than he did elsewhere.
I don’t think he struggled as much as he just had really rotten luck in August. Lee’s FIP was HALF of his ERA for the month (3.12 compared to 6.35). A .400 BABIP and 53.8% LOB is what killed him, despite posting his best K/9 rate and GB% of the year.
Of course, I don’t know how much of an impact those numbers will have when he’s deciding where to play next year. It’s just worth noting that even a bad Cliff Lee is still a ridiculously good pitcher.
Heard this one on the ESPN radio broadcast last night: Seven times in the postseason, a pitcher has had 7+ IP, 10+ K, and no walks.
Cliff Lee is responsible for four of those.
Be careful what you wish for. It might turn out to be Heathcliff Slocumb.
July 31, 1997: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Seattle Mariners for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek.
I heard that on 710 about an hour ago (but I thought they said 8 times). Amazing.
I’ll admit to some tempered jealousy. Even though I am excited by Smoak’s future, there’s nothing quite like watching baseball greatness.
Not sure about that. Seems like about 15 years ago when a little magic happened in Seattle. That involved getting to an LCS too.
People around here seem to remember that fondly. New Stadium and all.
Cliff Lee is still extremely underrated. I’ve admired him since his playoff run in ’09 (being an NL fan). His K/BB ratio is legendary…
Seeing a guy all stoked like that. I don’t know about saying he won’t re-sign if they win. I’d say if they DO win, which I believe they have a very good chance of doing, then they have a very good chance at getting him back for next year. He seems like the type that might sign for a touch less just so he can be with a team and stay there for once. Especially if it looks like a team with a lot of promise which Texas has moving forward.
To be a Rangers fan in 2010 must be an incredible experience.
…did you even read my entire post?
I work with this girl (a complete beauty) who is a big Twins fan and baseball fan in general and I remember a conversation I had with her when we were preparing to trade Lee that went something like: “Man if they get him that could make all the difference in the world.
Now I am going to have the conversation with her that will go: “Man the difference between Texas and the Twins this year was Texas got Cliff Lee.”
It looks like this story will only end with the headlines: IF PHILLY HAD ONLY KEPT CLIFF LEE THEY WOULD HAVE WON THE WS AGAINST THE YANKEES. Or: LEE SINGLE HANDEDLY DEFEATS THE TEAM WHO TRADED HIM. TEXAS WINS!!!!
Good luck Cliff it was fun watching while you were here.
I just really hope Cliff goes back to the national league. That way whenever the Yanks get to the WS he can DESTROY them.