The Incredible Cliff Lee

I knew the Cliff Lee trade was a brilliant move but I wasn't fully impressed yet. Sure he tore it up his first three games and I got to see it on TV but my perception changed last night.

I went to the Phillies game last night, my eighth of the season, and I was lucky enough to see Lee pitch live. That changed everything. He worked fast, efficient, and got the job done as the Phillies won 8-1 over Arizona. The game was over in two and a half hours. He had a perfect game through three and lost the no-hitter in the sixth with one out to a pinch hitter. He only allowed one more hit after that as he struck out 11 batters, giving up one run and two hits to earn his fourth win as a Phillie.

He does something else that you would expect from an ace: get the crowd behind him. My heart was pounding watching him pitch. I was on the edge of my seat with every strike. After he gave up that first hit, the place stood up and applauded. It was crazy. The crowd was basically telling him "Okay, that was pretty cool. Now go after these guys and finish the job."

He has been scary his four starts as a Phillie. He's 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA. He has allowed only 18 hits and six walks in 33 innings and has struck out 34. His opponents batting average is .161. If anyone is still crying that the Phillies didn't trade for Roy Halladay, you're a lost cause.

From Todd Zolecki's article:

"He's a for-real ace," Werth said. "He's that type of guy. He's a shutdown guy. He can go out and control a game. Look what he's done since he's been here. That's pretty remarkable. But that's the kind of stuff he brings to table. You can't expect a guy to do that every time out, but so far, the stuff he's offering is definitely different than what guys are used to seeing. At least it looks that way to me. You get a run on the board for a guy like that, you're in pretty good shape."

This guy is the reason the Phillies can repeat. He has picked up tremendously for the slack of Cole Hamels. If Hamels figures himself out and you throw in Joe Blanton and JA Happ's success to make a four-man playoff rotation, there is no reason at all to say the Phillies won't repeat as World Champions.