Everyone has an opinion on the transformation of former Indians left-hander Cliff Lee into one of the game's best pitchers. Here's a few of them with the American League Championship Series beginning tonight.
For the second straight year, former Indian Cliff Lee is a dominant pitcher in the playoffs, this time for the Texas Rangers.Arlington, Texas -- Theories abound on how Cliff Lee went from a struggling left-hander to a pitcher who should be the toast of this winter's free agent market.
Try this one on for size from Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker.
In the spring of 2007, the Indians felt Lee was too predictable against right-handed hitters. Lee liked to challenge right-handers with inside fastballs.
The Indians suggested another approach -- throwing his fastball and change-up to the outside part of the plate. The change was never fully implemented because Lee strained an abdominal muscle early in camp and missed all of spring training.
Later in the season things continued to ferment after Lee watched Mariano Rivera save a couple of games for the Yankees. Rivera kept throwing cut fastball after cut fastball and no one could hit it.
Said Braunecker: "Cliff said, "Why in he world am I not throwing that pitch?'"
The 2007 season was the worst in Lee's career. He went 5-8, spent over a month at Class AAA Buffalo, lost his job in the starting rotation and didn't make the Indians' postseason roster. But the seeds of pitching to the outside part of the plate and using a cut fastball were planted.
They bloomed in 2008. Lee won 22 games and the Cy Young Award. The cost-cutting Indians traded Lee to Philadelphia in 2009. He went 7-4 down the stretch and 4-0 in the postseason as the Phillies reached the World Series for the second straight year. The Phillies traded Lee to Seattle during the off-season to make room for Roy Halladay. In July, Lee was traded again, this time to Texas.
He finished the season 12-9 and helped Texas win its first postseason series in franchise history with victories in Games 1 and 5 of the American League Division Series against Tampa Bay. He allowed two earned runs, struck out 21 and didn't walk a batter in 16 innings. Lee's 11 strikeouts in Game 5 were the most ever in a winner-take-all postseason game.
"Cliff had always been a fly-ball pitcher," said Braunecker. "But right-handers were starting to cheat on him because he kept throwing the fastball inside. By throwing his change-up and fastball away, and then jamming right-handers with the cutter, he was able to throw to both sides of the plate."
Texas opens the ALCS tonight against the Yankees at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. C.J. Wilson will face New York's CC Sabathia. Lee won't start until Game 3 on Monday at Yankee Stadium.
Here are some other theories on the transformation of Lee.
In 2009, Cliff Lee went 4-0 in the postseason with the Phillies, who lost to the Yankees in the World Series."Three or four years ago, I don't remember his control being so good," said Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira. "He can put the ball on every corner, throw any pitch in any count . . . he's almost unhittable."
Lee struck out 185 batters and walked 18 in 2121/3 innings.
Teammate Ian Kinsler says the biggest change he's noticed in Lee over the last several years is command -- the ability to throw the ball over certain parts of the plate.
"To me, he's what I imagined it would be like seeing Sandy Koufax pitch," said Kinsler. "His command is off the charts. When you can start eliminating pitches, it makes it easier on hitters.
"But right now you can't eliminate any of his pitches and he's got about six of them."
Tim Belcher wasn't the Indians pitching coach when the Indians sent Lee to Buffalo in 2007. He was a special assistant for the Tribe and saw Lee more than once as he tried to pull his game together in the minors.
"It's hard to put your finger on one thing, but I'd say it's the consistency of his pitches," said Belcher. "Cliff handled that whole thing great. He had a big-league contract and he could have moaned and groaned, but he just kept working to get better."
Yankee manager Joe Girardi pointed to Lee's strike-throwing ability.
"You can say be patient off Cliff Lee," said Girardi, "and all of a sudden you're 0-2 and he can do whatever he wants at that point."
This season Lee's strikeout to walk ratio was 10.28 -- for every walk, he struck out 10.28 batters. Lee led the big leagues by throwing first-pitch strikes 69.8 percent of the time.
Sabathia and Lee were teammates on the Indians from 2002 to 2008. They were almost reunited in July when the Yankees made a strong push for Lee only to have Seattle trade him to Texas.
"That deal was about as close as everyone says it was," said Braunecker.
This winter the reunion could happen for real. The Yankees reportedly have a strong interest in signing Lee as a free agent.
Sabathia doesn't think there has been a dramatic change in Lee's pitching.
"He's always been good," said Sabathia. "In 2005, he won 18 games. The biggest development I've seen has been his change-up."
In 2007 Sabathia won the Cy Young for the Indians and was traded to Milwaukee in 2008 before signing with the Yankees as a free agent. Lee repeated the process in 2008 and 2009 with two bonus rounds of trades. Would anyone be shocked if he completes the cycle and ends up in the Bronx this winter?