Cliff Lee
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1919-1926)
Cliff Lee was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1926 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 8 seasons. In 521 career games, he hit .300 with 475 hits, 38 home runs, and 216 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,821.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- Died
- 4/25/1980 in Denver, CO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1919-05-15
- Last Game
- 1926-09-08
Full name: Clifford Walker Lee
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 521 | 1,583 | 216 | 475 | 87 | 28 | 38 | 216 | 14 | 104 | 186 | .300 | .344 | .462 | .806 | 2,821 |
Career AVG .300 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.
Career OBP .344 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .462 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +19.5% above league average.
Career OPS .806 vs. league average .729 across their career seasons — +10.6% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | PIT | NL | 42 | 112 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | .196 | .262 (-25%) | .322 (-26%) | .347 (-18%) | .670 (-22%) | -406.0 |
| 1920 | PIT | NL | 37 | 76 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 14 | .237 | .271 (-13%) | .331 (-17%) | .363 (-13%) | .694 (-15%) | -193.6 |
| 1921 | PHI | NL | 88 | 286 | 31 | 88 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 5 | 13 | 34 | .308 | .286 (+7%) | .344 (-2%) | .395 (+8%) | .739 (+3%) | 114.8 |
| 1922 | PHI | NL | 122 | 422 | 65 | 136 | 29 | 6 | 17 | 77 | 2 | 32 | 43 | .322 | .285 (+13%) | .345 (+7%) | .397 (+36%) | .743 (+23%) | 1792.5 |
| 1923 | PHI | NL | 107 | 355 | 54 | 114 | 20 | 4 | 11 | 47 | 3 | 20 | 39 | .321 | .282 (+13%) | .344 (+4%) | .390 (+26%) | .734 (+16%) | 970.6 |
| 1924 | PHI | NL | 21 | 56 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .250 | .283 (-12%) | .345 (-20%) | .389 (+10%) | .734 (-4%) | -70.4 |
| 1924 | CIN | NL | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | -70.4 |
| 1925 | CLE | AL | 77 | 230 | 43 | 74 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 42 | 2 | 21 | 33 | .322 | .288 (+12%) | .349 (+8%) | .407 (+21%) | .756 (+15%) | 613.2 |
| 1926 | CLE | AL | 21 | 40 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .175 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 521 | 1,583 | 216 | 475 | 87 | 28 | 38 | 216 | 14 | 104 | 186 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 2,751 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (522 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 260 | 773 | 131 | 256 | 33 | 150 | .331 |
| Away | 262 | 809 | 85 | 219 | 5 | 79 | .271 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926-09-08 | CLE | DET | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1926-09-07 | CLE | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-08-27 | CLE | BOS | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-08-17 | CLE | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1926-08-10 | CLE | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-08-07 | CLE | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-08-06 | CLE | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-07-29 | CLE | PHA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1926-07-25 | CLE | SLA | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926-06-27 | CLE | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 86 | 0 | 847 | 38 | 12 | 65 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 52 | 0 | 142 | 44 | 6 | 3 |
| OF | 300 | 0 | 533 | 24 | 23 | 6 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | PIT | C | 28 | 0 | 85 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| 1919 | PIT | OF | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920 | PIT | C | 19 | 0 | 51 | 24 | 2 | 3 |
| 1920 | PIT | OF | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | PHI | 1B | 48 | 0 | 502 | 20 | 7 | 35 |
| 1921 | PHI | C | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | PHI | OF | 27 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1922 | PHI | 1B | 18 | 0 | 173 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| 1922 | PHI | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922 | PHI | OF | 89 | 0 | 167 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| 1923 | PHI | 1B | 16 | 0 | 131 | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| 1923 | PHI | OF | 83 | 0 | 136 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 1924 | PHI | 1B | 4 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 1924 | PHI | OF | 13 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | CIN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | CLE | OF | 70 | 0 | 129 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 1926 | CLE | C | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1926 | CLE | OF | 9 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 50 |
| First Base | 86 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 144 |
| Center Field | 19 |
| Right Field | 140 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Cliff Lee (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Cliff Lee: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 15, 1919 and the final game on September 8, 1926, Cliff Lee built the record summarized on this page. By club, Lee's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1919 through 1920), the Philadelphia Phillies (1921 through 1924), the Cincinnati Reds (1924), and the Cleveland Indians (1925 to 1926). Lee, born on August 4, 1896, in Lexington, NE, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Lee's death is recorded on April 25, 1980, in Denver, CO, USA. Lee's full given name, per the bio, is Clifford Walker Lee.
In 521 games and 1,583 at bats, Lee batted .300 with 475 hits, plus 38 homers and 216 RBI. The on-base percentage is .344 and the slugging percentage .462, for an OPS of .806. The league as a whole hit .281 across Lee's seasons, which puts the .300 career mark 6.8% above average. The single-season home run high is 17, set in 1922. Lee collected a career-high 136 hits in 1922.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cliff Lee
- What years did Cliff Lee play?
- Cliff Lee played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1926.
- Was Cliff Lee a pitcher?
- No. Cliff Lee was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Cliff Lee hit?
- Cliff Lee hit 38 career home runs with 475 hits.
- What was Cliff Lee's career batting average?
- Cliff Lee batted .300 over his career, with 475 hits in 1,583 at bats.
- How many RBI did Cliff Lee have?
- Cliff Lee drove in 216 runs in his career.
- Is Cliff Lee in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Cliff Lee has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.