Major League Baseball

Once again, Lee comes up big in playoffs

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:15 a.m. ET

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ARLINGTON, Texas - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington insists he wasn't surprised by the dominance of Cliff Lee in the team's first-ever playoff-series victory. A day after Lee won the clinching fifth game in a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Washington said that acquiring the former Phillies lefthander was all part of the master plan to enable the Rangers to reach a previously unreachable level.

"That is why we got him, for this point when we got to the playoffs," Washington said on Wednesday at an otherwise empty Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Lee threw a complete game, striking out 11 and walking none. In two American League division series wins over the Rays, Lee struck out 21, walked none, and had a 1.13 ERA.

"He did exactly what I used to watch him do when I was sitting home during the playoffs," Washington said of Lee's performance Tuesday.

That happened to be last year, when Lee went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts for the Phillies. Included were two World Series wins over the Yankees, the team Texas now has to tackle in the American League Championship Series, which will begin here Friday.

In just two seasons, Lee has won four postseason games in which he has struck out at least 10 batters without issuing a walk.

Only two other pitchers have accomplished that feat in the postseason even once, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They were Pittsburgh's Deacon Phillippe in the 1903 World Series and San Diego's Sterling Hitchcock in the 1998 NLDS.

Lee was acquired on July 9 from Seattle, which beat out the Yankees for his services. He is 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA in seven postseason starts.

"We are pleased and happy that the organization was able to acquire a guy of his caliber and a guy who looks forward to going out there and facing a challenge," Washington said. "Not only was he facing the challenge, but his teammates were facing the challenge, and once they gave him some breathing room he did what No. 1's do - take it to the finish line."

Since Lee pitched on Tuesday, Washington said that the lefthander wouldn't start until Game 3 against the Yankees.

Washington indicated his rotation would be C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Lee, and Tommy Hunter.

The Yankees' rotation will include CC Sabathia in Game 1, followed by Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, and A.J. Burnett.

On another note, Washington is among a long list of baseball lifers who have enjoyed a long relationship with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

Washington played for Manuel when he was managing the Toledo Mud Hens, at the time the triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

"Charlie is a really good friend and very good baseball man," Washington said. "The Phillies pitch, they play defense, they run the bases, they can hit with power, they are a complete team and do everything the game of baseball asks you to do."

As impressed as he is with the Phillies, Washington had to add a disclaimer.

"They are still eight games away from being crowned anything," he said. "But they are a quality team."

Washington also had an interesting description of Roy Halladay. He said he saw the final inning of Halladay's no-hitter in the Phillies' NLDS opener against the Cincinnati Reds.

Washington said he faced Halladay many times when he was a coach at Oakland and Halladay was pitching for Toronto. As manager of Texas the last three seasons, Washington said he saw more than enough of Halladay.

"He's a bad boy, no doubt about it," Washington said in admiration. "He wanted to get to this point throughout his career. Anytime he takes the baseball, the opponent definitely has to watch out."

Of course, the furthest thing on Washington's mind is the Phillies.

All he is concerned about is the Yankees, a team that eliminated the Rangers in the ALDS during their only postseason appearances. The Rangers, however, split eight games with the Yankees this season.

"We are a very confident group," Washington said. "Not overconfident, and we have our flaws, but when it gets down to it we can play some baseball."

Especially when Cliff Lee is on the mound.

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225

or mnarducci@phillynews.com.

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