The Philadelphia Phillies may not have won the 2009 World Series, but that was no fault of Cliff Lee. After arriving in Philly at that trade deadline, Lee became the ace of the Phillies’ staff and collected the club’s only two victories in the Fall Classic.
Lee was a late-bloomer. A fourth-round selection in the 2000 draft by the Montreal Expos, Lee was traded to the then-Cleveland Indians in a blockbuster deal that included Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Bartolo Colon. He followed up a breakout 2005 campaign in the Indians’ rotation with back-to-back subpar seasons, which ultimately led to him being sent down to the minors late in the 2007 season.
Then everything clicked for Lee. He led the American League with a 2.54 ERA across 223 ⅓ innings in 2008, punching out 170 batters en route to a magnificent 22-3 record. That dazzling performance led to the Arkansan’s first All-Star berth, as well as a near-unanimous selection for the American League Cy Young Award (future Phillies great Roy Halladay was the only other hurler to receive first-place votes).
The 2009 Indians were a dreadful team. They finished the season with a 65-97 record and sold off the ace of their pitching staff for the second straight season at the trade deadline. That timing worked out perfectly for the defending World Series champion Phillies, who added the AL's top pitcher to their starting staff.
2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels had a down season, posting a 4.32 ERA, while the ageless Jamie Moyer snuck in just under the 5.00 mark. Joe Blanton remained steady at the back end, while rookie J.A. Happ finished second in Rookie of the Year Award voting.
Lee was excellent in his half-season with the Phillies, posting a 3.39 ERA over 12 starts down the stretch and becoming the de facto big game starter with Hamels hitting the skids. The Phils steamrolled through the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers on the road to a National League pennant, and matched up with the vaunted New York Yankees in the World Series.
Cliff Lee pitched the game of his life in World Series game one
Manager Charlie Manuel handed Lee the ball for game one, and he didn’t disappoint. The 31-year-old fired 122 pitches in a nine-inning complete-game performance, yielding one unearned run on six hits and no walks, fanning 10 Yankees hitters.
To wit, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon stepped to the plate and lifted a soft pop fly over the pitcher’s mound. Phillies infielders converged, but Lee had it the whole way, casually sticking his glove out and catching the ball while looking aloof. He never even stopped chewing his gum
Unfortunately, that electric first game would prove to be the Phillies’ high-water mark. The rest of the staff couldn't live up to Lee's Game 1 dominance, and Philadelphia faltered, losing the series in six.
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