Cliff Lee, baseball player, 2002-2014

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

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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

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

Season-by-Season Pitching

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 10.3 6 2 8 6 1.74 4.28 (+59%) 40.0
2003 CLE AL 3 3 9 9 0 0 0 52.3 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%) -2349.5
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 0 200.7 224 98 58 129 4.40 4.53 (+3%) -1042.9
2007 CLE AL 5 8 20 16 1 0 0 97.3 112 68 36 66 6.29 4.47 (-41%) -2497.6
2008 CLE AL 22 3 31 31 4 2 0 223.3 214 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 79.7 80 30 10 74 3.39 4.32 (+22%) 3012.7
2010 SEA AL 8 3 13 13 5 1 0 103.7 92 27 6 89 2.34 4.08 (+43%) 5074.6
2010 TEX AL 4 6 15 15 2 0 0 108.7 103 48 12 96 3.98 4.08 (+3%) 3035.1
2011 PHI NL 17 8 32 32 6 6 0 232.7 197 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 0 222.7 193 71 32 222 2.87 3.87 (+26%) 6067.2
2014 PHI NL 4 5 13 13 1 0 0 81.3 100 33 12 72 3.65 3.74 (+2%) 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

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 0.415 vs. league average 0.741 across their career seasons — 43.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

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 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 .255 (-22%) .320 (-35%) .399 (-23%) .719 (-29%) -384.7
2012 PHI NL 33 64 3 10 2 0 0 4 1 1 23 0.156 .254 (-39%) .318 (-47%) .405 (-54%) .724 (-51%) -548.8
2013 PHI NL 34 60 5 11 1 1 0 6 0 2 25 0.183 .253 (-28%) .317 (-34%) .396 (-41%) .714 (-38%) -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 NLCS PHI 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333
2009 NLDS2 PHI 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200
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

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

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