Cliff Lee

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2002-2014)

Cliff Lee was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 to 2014 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 13 seasons. Across 328 career appearances, he went 143-91 with a 3.52 ERA and 1,824 strikeouts. He also batted .175 with 2 home runs. Cliff Lee was a 4-time All-Star and a Cy Young. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 41719.4.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 143–91
ERA 3.52
WHIP 1.20
SO 1,824
Pitcher PIV 41719.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'3" / 205 lb
Born
8/30/1978 in Benton, AR, USA
MLB Debut
2002-09-15
Last Game
2014-07-31
Awards
4× All-Star · Cy Young

Full name: Clifton Phifer Lee

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Career Pitching Statistics

Cliff Lee — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
143 91 328 324 29 12 0 2156.2 2,116 843 223 464 1,824 3.52 41719.4

Career ERA 3.52 vs. league average 4.21 across their career seasons — 16.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Cliff Lee (b. 1978) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2002 CLE AL 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 10.1 6 2 8 6 1.74 4.28 (+59%) 40.0
2003 CLE AL 3 3 9 9 0 0 0 52.1 41 21 20 44 3.61 4.40 (+18%) 65.8
2004 CLE AL 14 8 33 33 0 0 0 179.0 188 108 81 161 5.43 4.46 (-22%) -2266.1
2005 CLE AL 18 5 32 32 1 0 0 202.0 194 85 52 143 3.79 4.29 (+12%) 2622.8
2006 CLE AL 14 11 33 33 1 0 0 200.2 224 98 58 129 4.40 4.53 (+3%) -1001.5
2007 CLE AL 5 8 20 16 1 0 0 97.1 112 68 36 66 6.29 4.47 (-41%) -2448.5
2008 CLE AL 22 3 31 31 4 2 0 223.1 214 63 34 170 2.54 4.32 (+41%) 8711.9
2009 CLE AL 7 9 22 22 3 1 0 152.0 165 53 33 107 3.14 4.32 (+27%) 4180.5
2009 PHI NL 7 4 12 12 3 1 0 79.2 80 30 10 74 3.39 4.32 (+22%) 3012.7
2010 SEA AL 8 3 13 13 5 1 0 103.2 92 27 6 89 2.34 4.08 (+43%) 5074.6
2010 TEX AL 4 6 15 15 2 0 0 108.2 103 48 12 96 3.98 4.08 (+3%) 3035.1
2011 PHI NL 17 8 32 32 6 6 0 232.2 197 62 42 238 2.40 3.94 (+39%) 8156.7
2012 PHI NL 6 9 30 30 0 0 0 211.0 207 74 28 207 3.16 4.01 (+21%) 4854.5
2013 PHI NL 14 8 31 31 2 1 0 222.2 193 71 32 222 2.87 3.87 (+26%) 6067.2
2014 PHI NL 4 5 13 13 1 0 0 81.1 100 33 12 72 3.65 3.74 (+2%) 1613.6
Career · 15 seasons 143 91 328 324 29 12 0 2,156.2 2,116 843 464 1,824 3.52 — 41,719

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Cliff Lee — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
337 291 18 51 7 1 2 19 2 5 110 .175 .189 .227 .415 -1,242

Career AVG .175 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 32.8% below league average.

Career OBP .189 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 42.5% below league average.

Career SLG .227 vs. league average .413 across their career seasons — 45.0% below league average.

Career OPS .415 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 43.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Cliff Lee (b. 1978) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2002 CLE AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 CLE AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2004 CLE AL 33 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
2005 CLE AL 32 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 CLE AL 33 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .167 — — — — 0.0
2007 CLE AL 20 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 CLE AL 31 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 CLE AL 22 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 PHI NL 12 33 2 7 2 0 0 1 0 0 13 .212 — — — — 0.0
2010 SEA AL 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 TEX AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 PHI NL 35 75 6 15 2 0 2 7 1 1 26 .200 .255 (-22%) .320 (-35%) .399 (-23%) .719 (-29%) -361.3
2012 PHI NL 33 64 3 10 2 0 0 4 1 1 23 .156 .254 (-39%) .318 (-47%) .405 (-54%) .724 (-51%) -517.2
2013 PHI NL 34 60 5 11 1 1 0 6 0 2 25 .183 .253 (-28%) .317 (-34%) .396 (-41%) .714 (-38%) -363.7
2014 PHI NL 13 24 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 9 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 337 291 18 51 7 1 2 19 2 5 110 .175 — — — — -1,242

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Cliff Lee — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
12 15 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 5 .267

Playoff Batting by Year

Cliff Lee — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2011 NLDS1 PHI 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
2010 ALCS TEX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2010 ALDS1 TEX 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2010 WS TEX 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .500
2009 NLCS PHI 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333
2009 NLDS2 PHI 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200
2009 WS PHI 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333

Playoff Career Pitching

Cliff Lee — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
7 3 11 11 0 82.0 66 23 10 89 2.52

Playoff Pitching by Year

Cliff Lee — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2011 NLDS1 PHI 0 1 1 1 0 6.0 12 5 2 9 7.50
2010 ALCS TEX 1 0 1 1 0 8.0 2 0 1 13 0.00
2010 ALDS1 TEX 2 0 2 2 0 16.0 11 2 0 21 1.12
2010 WS TEX 0 2 2 2 0 11.2 14 9 1 13 6.94
2009 NLCS PHI 1 0 1 1 0 8.0 3 0 0 10 0.00
2009 NLDS2 PHI 1 0 2 2 0 16.1 11 2 3 10 1.10
2009 WS PHI 2 0 2 2 0 16.0 13 5 3 13 2.81

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (665 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Cliff Lee — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1651351332114.237
Away17215651915.122

Pitching — Home / Away

Cliff Lee — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1591064.210463932179583.32
Away1691092.010704502478663.71

Last 10 Games — Batting

Cliff Lee — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2014-07-31 PHIWASW 100000001
2014-07-26 PHIAZL 212000100
2014-07-21 PHISFGL 200000002
2014-05-18 PHICINW 311000001
2014-05-13 PHILAAL 200000001
2014-05-07 PHITORL 000000000
2014-05-02 PHIWASL 200000000
2014-04-26 PHIAZW 201000000
2014-04-21 PHILADW 401000002
2014-04-16 PHIATLL 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Cliff Lee — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2014-07-31 PHIWAS — 2.2100040
2014-07-26 PHIAZ — 5.0933241
2014-07-21 PHISFG L 5.21266131
2014-05-18 PHICIN W 6.2922130
2014-05-13 PHILAA L 7.0640170
2014-05-07 PHITOR L 6.1766162
2014-05-02 PHIWAS — 7.0421251
2014-04-26 PHIAZ — 6.0853220
2014-04-21 PHILAD W 8.04000100
2014-04-16 PHIATL L 9.011111131

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Cliff Lee — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 328 324 83 188 18 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Cliff Lee — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2002 CLE P 2 2 1 2 0 0
2003 CLE P 9 9 1 5 1 0
2004 CLE P 33 33 5 7 0 0
2005 CLE P 32 32 5 10 3 0
2006 CLE P 33 33 3 18 1 0
2007 CLE P 20 16 7 5 1 2
2008 CLE P 31 31 16 14 1 2
2009 CLE P 22 22 8 17 1 1
2009 PHI P 12 12 3 12 1 1
2010 SEA P 13 13 5 5 3 0
2010 TEX P 15 15 5 9 1 1
2011 PHI P 32 32 7 26 1 1
2012 PHI P 30 30 6 22 3 3
2013 PHI P 31 31 7 28 1 1
2014 PHI P 13 13 4 8 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Cliff Lee (b. 1978) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 328

Awards & Honors

Cliff Lee — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
2011 Pitcher of the Month August
2011 Pitcher of the Month June
2010 Pitcher of the Month June
2008 Comeback Player of the Year
2008 Cy Young Award
2008 MLB Players Choice Comeback Player
2008 MLB Players Choice Outstanding Pitcher
2008 Pitcher of the Month April
2008 Pitcher of the Month August
2008 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
2008 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Cliff Lee — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2014 PHI NL $25,000,000
2013 PHI NL $25,000,000
2012 PHI NL $21,500,000
2011 PHI NL $11,000,000
2010 SEA AL $9,000,000
2009 CLE AL $6,000,000
2008 CLE AL $4,000,000
2007 CLE AL $3,000,000
2006 CLE AL $406,200
2005 CLE AL $345,000
2004 CLE AL $303,200
2003 CLE AL $300,900
Total Career Earnings $105,855,300

College History

Cliff Lee — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR 2000
Meridian Community College Meridian MS 1998, 1999

Award Voting History

Cliff Lee — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2013 Cy Young Award NL 6th 32.0 210 0
2011 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 90.0 224 0
2011 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 12.0 448 0
2010 Cy Young Award AL 7th 6.0 196 0
2008 Cy Young Award AL 1st 132.0 140 24
2008 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 24.0 392 0
2005 Cy Young Award AL 4th 8.0 140 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Cliff Lee (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Roy Oswalt
    163-102, 3.36 ERA
  2. 89
    Jered Weaver
    150-98, 3.63 ERA
  3. 76
    Johnny Cueto
    144-113, 3.52 ERA
  4. 74
    Madison Bumgarner
    134-124, 3.47 ERA
  5. 72
    Dan Haren
    153-131, 3.75 ERA
  6. 68
    David Price
    157-82, 3.32 ERA

Compare Cliff Lee

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Lee's closest peers by position and era.

vs Roger Clemens
vs Greg Maddux
vs Randy Johnson
vs Pedro Martinez
vs Curt Schilling
vs Clayton Kershaw

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

See Cliff Lee in Another Era

What would Lee's 2011 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Cliff Lee's peak season across eras →

Cliff Lee: the record in brief

Cliff Lee played a first major league game on September 15, 2002 and a last one on July 31, 2014. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Indians (2002 to 2009), the Philadelphia Phillies (2009 to 2014), the Seattle Mariners (2010), and the Texas Rangers (2010). Lee, a pitcher by primary position, batted and threw left-handed. The recorded size is 6'3" and 205 pounds. The birth record reads August 30, 1978, in Benton, AR, USA. On the record, Cliff Lee was born Clifton Phifer Lee.

Lee went 143-91 with a 3.52 ERA in 328 games, 324 of them starts. Lee had 1,824 strikeouts, 29 complete games, and 12 shutouts. Against a 4.21 league ERA for the same years, Lee was 16.4% better. The best win total was 22, in 2008. Lee struck out 238 batters in 2011, a career high. 2011 was Lee's sharpest full season, a 2.40 ERA against the league's 3.94. Lee's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 41,719.4.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cliff Lee

What years did Cliff Lee play?
Cliff Lee played in Major League Baseball from 2002 to 2014.
Was Cliff Lee a pitcher?
Yes. Cliff Lee pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 1824 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Cliff Lee hit?
Cliff Lee hit 2 career home runs with 51 hits.
What was Cliff Lee's career batting average?
Cliff Lee batted .175 over his career, with 51 hits in 291 at bats.
How many RBI did Cliff Lee have?
Cliff Lee drove in 19 runs in his career.
What was Cliff Lee's career ERA?
Cliff Lee finished with a 3.52 career ERA, going 143-91 with 1,824 strikeouts.