Cliff Lee
Born: 8/30/1978 in Benton, AR, USA
MLB Debut: 2002-09-15 | Final Game: 2014-07-31
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 205 lbs
Full name: Clifton Phifer Lee
Biography
Cliff Lee was a prominent left-handed pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 2002 to 2014. Born in 1978, Lee established himself as one of the premier pitchers of his era, known for his exceptional command and ability to dominate hitters. Over his career, he compiled a record of 143 wins and 91 losses, with a solid earned run average (ERA) of 3.52. Lee struck out a total of 1,824 batters, showcasing his prowess on the mound and his ability to consistently challenge opposing lineups. Notably, Lee did not record any saves during his career, as he primarily served as a starting pitcher.
Lee's accolades include being a four-time All-Star and winning the prestigious Cy Young Award, which recognized him as the best pitcher in the league during his standout seasons. He was known for his meticulous preparation and a diverse pitching arsenal, which included a devastating fastball and a sharp breaking ball. Lee's career spanned a transformative period in baseball, marked by an increasing emphasis on strikeout rates and advanced metrics. His contributions to the game and his performance in high-pressure situations, especially during playoff runs, solidified his legacy as one of the top pitchers of his generation.
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 | 2156.7 | 2116 | 843 | 223 | 464 | 1824 | 3.52 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | CLE | AL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 1.74 | 40.0 |
| 2003 | CLE | AL | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.3 | 41 | 21 | 20 | 44 | 3.61 | 65.8 |
| 2004 | CLE | AL | 14 | 8 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 179.0 | 188 | 108 | 81 | 161 | 5.43 | -2349.5 |
| 2005 | CLE | AL | 18 | 5 | 32 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 202.0 | 194 | 85 | 52 | 143 | 3.79 | 2622.8 |
| 2006 | CLE | AL | 14 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 200.7 | 224 | 98 | 58 | 129 | 4.40 | -1042.9 |
| 2007 | CLE | AL | 5 | 8 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 97.3 | 112 | 68 | 36 | 66 | 6.29 | -2497.6 |
| 2008 | CLE | AL | 22 | 3 | 31 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 223.3 | 214 | 63 | 34 | 170 | 2.54 | 8711.9 |
| 2009 | CLE | AL | 7 | 9 | 22 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 152.0 | 165 | 53 | 33 | 107 | 3.14 | 4180.5 |
| 2009 | PHI | NL | 7 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 79.7 | 80 | 30 | 10 | 74 | 3.39 | 3012.7 |
| 2010 | SEA | AL | 8 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 103.7 | 92 | 27 | 6 | 89 | 2.34 | 5074.6 |
| 2010 | TEX | AL | 4 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 108.7 | 103 | 48 | 12 | 96 | 3.98 | 3035.1 |
| 2011 | PHI | NL | 17 | 8 | 32 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 232.7 | 197 | 62 | 42 | 238 | 2.40 | 8156.7 |
| 2012 | PHI | NL | 6 | 9 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 211.0 | 207 | 74 | 28 | 207 | 3.16 | 4854.5 |
| 2013 | PHI | NL | 14 | 8 | 31 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 222.7 | 193 | 71 | 32 | 222 | 2.87 | 6067.2 |
| 2014 | PHI | NL | 4 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 81.3 | 100 | 33 | 12 | 72 | 3.65 | 1613.6 |
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 | 0.175 | 0.189 | 0.227 | 0.415 | -1320.1 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 2005 | CLE | AL | 32 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2006 | CLE | AL | 33 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 2007 | CLE | AL | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2008 | CLE | AL | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2009 | CLE | AL | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2009 | PHI | NL | 12 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.212 | 0.0 |
| 2010 | SEA | AL | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 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 | 0.200 | -384.7 |
| 2012 | PHI | NL | 33 | 64 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 0.156 | -548.8 |
| 2013 | PHI | NL | 34 | 60 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 0.183 | -386.6 |
| 2014 | PHI | NL | 13 | 24 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.267 |
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 | 0.000 |
| 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 | 0.500 |
| 2009 | NLDS2 | PHI | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.200 |
| 2009 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.333 |
| 2009 | WS | PHI | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.333 |
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
| 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 | 11.7 | 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 | 16.3 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 1.10 |
| 2009 | WS | PHI | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 16.0 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 2.81 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 328 | 324 | 83 | 188 | 18 | 12 |
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 | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 328 |
Awards & Honors
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
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | AR | 2000 |
| Meridian Community College | Meridian | MS | 1998, 1999 |
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 |