Just how dominating was Cliff Lee in Game 1? David Brown at Yahoo! has some other performances for comparison’s sake:
Cliff Lee’s Brilliance And The Creation Of ‘Retrocalm’
Could Clifton Phifer Lee have acted any cooler out on the mound? He was, perhaps, one errant Jimmy Rollins throw from a shutout. But six hits and one unearned run over nine otherwise dominant innings will do. He struck out 10 and walked none, becoming the first pitcher to do that in a World Series since (after further review) Don Newcombe in 1949. Pirates right-hander Deacon Phillippe in Game 1 of the first World Series in 1903 also did it.
Here’s the kicker: Only six times in history has a pitcher struck out at least 10 and walked none in a playoff game. And Lee’s done it twice (also against the Dodgers in the NLCS)!
Joe Posnanski at SI begs to differ with Brown. Lee wasn’t just “cool” on Wednesday night. Or relaxed. Or confident. He was something we’ve never seen before:
And yet … how can anyone doubt Cliff Lee? Did you see him out there Wednesday night, pitching Philadelphia to a 6-1 victory over the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series? There isn’t even a word for how he looked. It’s like the opposite of nervous only bigger. Relaxed? Not a big enough word. Confident? Not big enough. Arrogant? Closer, but we’re still not there. We need a new word: Retrocalm, maybe. Cliff Lee pitched Wednesday like he had already seen the game and knew how it turned out. He pitched like he was on Tivo.
“Not nervous at all,” Lee insisted when asked if he was just joking around about not being nervous. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been nervous playing this game. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life.”
Yes, well, major leaguers, they have ALL been doing this their whole lives. But they get nervous. They have trouble sleeping the night before. They throw up before games. They pace the clubhouse. They endure the butterflies that flap around in their bellies because … well because that’s what it is like to be alive.
And yet … did you see him out there? Step right up ladies and gentlemen and take a look at the world’s coolest pitcher! Here he is making a basket catch on a fly ball. There he is snagging a bouncing ball behind his back. He isn’t just beating the Yankees, he’s humiliating them! He’s undressing them! Here he is tagging out Jorge Posada but more, tagging him out on the butt, recording the first “Better luck next time big guy,” putout in World Series history. There he is striking out the hottest hitter on planet earth, Alex Rodriguez three times. You haven’t seen anything quite like the magic of Cliff Lee!
Essentially, Cliff Lee is living some real-life version of the T.V. show Flash Forward — he has seen a glimpse into the future and knows what it holds for him. So there’s no reason to worry. (Unless he was the Asian guy who didn’t see anything in his flash forward, because he’s dead in the future. The baseball equivalent of that guy would be Alex Rodriguez, who will be blamed for all of this if the Yankees lose the Series.)
So, when do us mortals get to witness Lee’s next start, which, of course, has actually already happened (Cliff goes eight innings, gives up one earned run just to see what it feels like, and only K’s eight, if you really must know):
Cliff Lee in Game 4? On 3 days’ rest?
The Phillies have given no indication that this might be where they are headed, but after a night like last night, when Lee throws a six-hit, complete game to open the World Series, you can understand why manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee might want to have the conversation. […]
“I really haven’t looked forward to whatever,” Lee said “That’s a better question for Charlie. He’s the one that makes those decisions. I’m ready to pitch whenever they let me.”
Oh, great! Is tonight too soon?
See More:
