Cliff Lee’s post-season game scores
Posted by Andy on October 29, 2009
Wow...what an inaugural post-season for Cliff Lee. He has already placed two starts in the top 80 of all-time post-season starts, as determined by game score. See the full list here.
If we look just in the latest high-offense era (i.e. the Steroids Era), Lee's two great games this playoff season rank in the top 23:
Cnt Player Date Series G Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str **GmSc** IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA +----+-----------------+-------------+------+-+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--------+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+ 1 Roger Clemens 2000-10-14 ALCS 4 NYY @SEA W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 15 0 138 87 98 30 28 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 2 Josh Beckett 2003-10-12 NLCS 5 FLA CHC W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 11 0 115 80 93 30 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 3 Kevin Brown 1998-09-29 NLDS 1 SDP @HOU W 2-1 GS-8 ,W 8 2 0 0 2 16 0 119 77 92 28 25 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 4 Randy Johnson 2001-10-28 WS 2 ARI NYY W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 11 0 110 76 91 30 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 5 Randy Johnson 2001-10-16 NLCS 1 ARI ATL W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 11 0 125 87 91 31 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 6 Livan Hernandez 1997-10-12 NLCS 5 FLA ATL W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 3 1 1 2 15 1 143 88 90 31 29 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1.00 7 Curt Schilling 2001-10-09 NLDS 1 ARI STL W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 9 0 101 74 89 32 30 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 8 Kevin Millwood 1999-10-06 NLDS 2 ATL HOU W 5-1 CG 9 ,W 9 1 1 1 0 8 1 89 29 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.00 9 Kevin Brown 1998-10-08 NLCS 2 SDP @ATL W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 3 11 0 122 78 89 32 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 10 Mike Hampton 2000-10-16 NLCS 5 NYM STL W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 8 0 120 74 88 31 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 11 Bobby Jones 2000-10-08 NLDS 4 NYM SFG W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 5 0 116 73 88 30 28 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 12 Mike Mussina 1997-10-15 ALCS 6 BAL CLE L 0-1 GS-8 8 1 0 0 2 10 0 107 73 88 27 25 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 13 Josh Beckett 2007-10-03 ALDS 1 BOS LAA W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 0 8 0 108 83 87 31 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 14 Roger Clemens 2000-10-22 WS 2 NYY NYM W 6-5 GS-8 ,W 8 2 0 0 0 9 0 112 78 87 28 27 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 15 John Smoltz 1997-10-03 NLDS 3 ATL @HOU W 4-1 CG 9 ,W 9 3 1 1 1 11 1 103 76 87 32 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.00 16 Cliff Lee 2009-10-18 NLCS 3 PHI LAD W 11-0 GS-8 ,W 8 3 0 0 0 10 0 114 76 86 26 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 17 Cole Hamels 2008-10-01 NLDS 1 PHI MIL W 3-1 GS-8 ,W 8 2 0 0 1 9 0 101 67 86 27 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 18 Jason Schmidt 2003-09-30 NLDS 1 SFG FLA W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 0 5 0 111 82 86 31 30 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 19 Curt Schilling 2001-10-19 NLCS 3 ARI @ATL W 5-1 CG 9 ,W 9 4 1 1 2 12 0 127 83 85 32 30 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1.00 20 Denny Neagle 1997-10-11 NLCS 4 ATL @FLA W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 1 7 0 107 75 85 32 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 21 Tom Glavine 1995-10-28 WS 6 ATL CLE W 1-0 GS-8 ,W 8 1 0 0 3 8 0 109 67 85 27 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 22 Josh Beckett 2003-10-25 WS 6 FLA @NYY W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 5 0 0 2 9 0 107 71 84 32 29 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 23 Cliff Lee 2009-10-28 WS 1 PHI @NYY W 6-1 CG 9 ,W 9 6 1 0 0 10 0 122 80 83 32 32 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 24 Pedro Martinez 1999-10-16 ALCS 3 BOS NYY W 13-1 GS-7 ,W 7 2 0 0 2 12 0 83 25 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 25 Greg Maddux 1995-10-21 WS 1 ATL CLE W 3-2 CG 9 ,W 9 2 2 0 0 4 0 95 63 83 30 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0.00
For a little perspective, from 1992 through yesterday, there have been 512 playoff games, meaning 1,024 starts by pitchers, and two out of Lee's three career playoff starts rank higher than 1,000 other starts. Incidentally, his 3rd start comes in at #55, so that's no slouch either. (That one was a 6-hit complete game with 1 earned run. He struck out only 5 guys, though.)
If the Phillies win the World Series again this year, I'd have to think that the Lee acquisition will go down as one of the best deadline deals in history. It's nice for Ruben Amaro Jr., too, as otherwise many people would claim that the 2009 Phillies were still Pat Gillick's team (which they largely are, but Amaro certainly deserves a lot of credit.)
October 29th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Prior to Lee's CG last night, the previous WS CG was Josh Becket, Game 6 of the 2003 World Series - 21 WS games ago. That is 2nd only to the 32 game streak (Greg Maddux (1995 World Series Game 1) to Randy Johnson (2001 World Series Game 2)). Johnson's '01 Game 2 CG is the last home WS CG.
In case you were wondering, the last time both starting pitchers completed a WS game was game 7 of the 1968 World Series - Lolich & Gibson.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Three games "better than perfect", including one in which 5 walks were issued? I'd say Game Score needs a tweak or two.....