Major League Baseball

Familiar spot for Lee

Published Oct. 11, 2010 10:09 p.m. ET

foxsports

ARLINGTON - Their season riding on him, the Rangers turn to Cliff Lee to save it Tuesday in Game 5 of the American League Division Series.

It's easy to say this is exactly why the Rangers boldly traded for Lee in July.

Just another of the many exact reasons the Rangers traded for Lee. Part of the reason an ace is more versatile than any kitchen doodad you see advertised on late-night TV.

They traded for him to create separation in the AL West, which they ended up with, though Lee was only a supporting player in that run.

They traded for him to start Game 1 of the playoffs and pitch them to their first victory in a postseason game in 14 years, which he did with aplomb. He shut down Tampa Bay for seven innings last week, in what seems like another time, if not another dimension.

And, yes, they traded for him to pitch in "All In" games where somebody cashes in and somebody checks out. After all, the guy was 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA in five postseason starts last year.

"I am ready to pitch whenever they want me to pitch," Lee said after the Rangers lost Game 4, 5-2, to Tampa Bay to even the series. "I was ready to pitch [Saturday] in the bullpen. I could have pitched [Sunday] out of the bullpen. I'm ready whenever they are ready. For me, it's not a matter of being mentally focused for a specific start; I'm always ready. It's about competition and competing at the highest level. I enjoy it and have fun with it."

If his performance in the only elimination game he's ever pitched in is any guide, the Rangers should have plenty of fun, too.

Pitching as the "hired gun" last year, he kept Philadelphia's season alive - albeit momentarily - by beating the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series. Philadelphia trailed 3-1 entering the game.

Lee allowed a run in the first and a run in the fifth. The Phillies, meanwhile - and the Rangers offense might want to take note of this - scored three runs in the bottom of the first and built an 8-2 lead for him.

Lee started the eighth and allowed three batters to reach. He gave way to the shaky Phillies' bullpen, which allowed the Yankees to pull within 8-6. The series, however, continued.

At least the Rangers can count on Lee being able to thumb back through the files from that experience to carry them in Game 5. Right, Cliff?

"I barely remember what happened yesterday, much less how the series went last year," Lee said. "I think I pitched in one of those [elimination] games, but I don't know for sure."

Reassuring words.

No, really.

If there is one sentiment in the Rangers' clubhouse that Lee has helped galvanize, it is that the past doesn't matter. And neither does the future. Stay in the moment. Lee is not preoccupied with the Rangers' "sorry" history, as it was termed in a postgame news conference. And he has turned his pending free agency into a non-story this postseason.

All that matters is focusing on the game at hand. In Game 1, he worked out of a first-inning jam, then smothered the Rays with strikes for six innings. He allowed a homer to Ben Zobrist, but by then the Rangers were leading 5-0 and having the time of their lives.

"I don't know if I have to set the tone," Lee said. "Hopefully, our offense sets the tone in the top of the first. That would be nice. It's not up to me to set a tone. I don't look at it like I have to do anything special or anything extra."

No, the usual should be good enough. The usual is exactly the reason the Rangers brought him to Texas.

In Lee's hands

Rangers ace Cliff Lee will start Game 5 on Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. He has never lost a playoff game:

Category Stat

Record 5-0

ERA 1.52

Innings pitched 47 1/3

Walks 6

Strikeouts 43