Cliff Lee vs. Josh Beckett: Lee Also Wins the Hitting Battle in Phils' Victory

One of the beauties of baseball is that games turn on the seemingly little things as well as the big ones. The Philadelphia Phillies’ 5-0 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night was a case in point.

The preseason consensus World Series match-up featured a great pitching duel between Boston’s Josh Beckett and Philly’s Cliff Lee. The oft-injured Beckett entered Citizens Bank Park with a 6-2 record and a MLB-best ERA of 1.86.

Lee both entered and exited the stage as the hottest pitcher on the planet. With his (complete game) shutout, the people’s choice improved his 2011 record to 9-5 with a 2.66 ERA, fifth lowest in the National League.

Most remarkably, Cliff Lee entered the month of June with 4-5 record and a mediocre 3.94 ERA. All he has done in June is go 5-0 with an 0.21 ERA.

In an era where very few pitchers throw complete game shutouts anymore, Lee has hurled three in a row to give him a MLB-best four for this season. There is no doubt as to who this columnist will choose later this week as the Top Phillie of June, but do stay tuned for the runner-ups and the quality read.

The box score, and any traditional recap, will reflect the big things that occurred during the game. Right fielder Domonic Brown rode a Beckett fastball over the center field wall to stake the Phils to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Fellow outfielder Shane Victorino popped a no-doubt-about-it jack to deep right in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-0 and send the big righty to the showers with one of his first poor, abbreviated outings of the season.

Obvious-LEE (if you will), Cliff sparkled against a tough Sox lineup, yielding only four base runners—two hits and two walks—on the night.

Two of those four would-be run scorers were erased via double plays. And yes, the Phillies' infield defense—Jimmy Rollins made a remarkable play on catcher Jason Veritek with no out and a man on second in the top of the sixth—was brilliant when most needed.

The 5-0 score made the game look like a laugher, but it was the little things that helped tilt the game in the Phillies’ favor when the game was very much in the balance.

Ironically, it was the at-bats of Lee and Beckett (who came to the dish only three total batters apart) that had much to do with that.

Interestingly, Cliff Lee (who turns 33 in August) and Josh Beckett (31) entered the contest with similar career marks; Lee was 110-66 with a 3.76 ERA and Beckett, 118-76, 3.84.

If baseball pundits were quizzed as to which active pitchers they would want in a Game 7, both pitchers would be at or near the top of those lists.

Beckett has a career postseason record of 7-3, 3.07, and a very low WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 0.94. At age 23, he won the World Series MVP in 2003; he added an ALCS MVP in 2007.

The burly power-pitching righty from Texas was at the top of the baseball mountain with Florida at a young age and scaled it again with the BoSox, yet much of his vast potential has been unrealized due to injuries.

Cliff Lee’s postseason record does not include two (or any) World Championships, but the lanky lefty from Arkansas has done his part to be labeled a terrific Big Game Pitcher. His own postseason record is 7-2, 2.13 and his microscopic 0.82 WHIP whips Beckett’s.

In contrast to Beckett’s career, Lee would be seen by most as a late bloomer. He truly arrived on the big stage in his age-29 season, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2008. In the last three years, his combined regular and postseason records are among the very best in the game.

As hitters, Beckett started out hitting (and carried a lifetime .148 average into the game) in the NL, while Lee (a lifetime .162 hitter) yielded to his DH for much of his career.

For those who have been paying attention, the Arkansas Assassin loves playing every aspect of the game, and if he is not considered a great hitting pitcher, he is certainly comfortable with a bat in his hands. Lee is also a terrific base runner, and should challenge for a Gold Glove as well.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth and Domonic Brown on third, Cliff Lee got to test his hot hitting against his intimidating counterpart. The score was just 2-0 when Lee got great wood on an outside fastball and chased left fielder Darnell McDonald back to the warning track.

As Brown scored easily, No. 33 jogged back to the dugout to a standing ovation. 3-0, Phillies, with a huge insurance run delivered by the pitcher.

Lee barely had a chance to slurp his sports drink and accept high fives as Jimmy Rollins swung at the very next Beckett offering and grounded to first to end the inning.

A fiery Beckett, upset at giving up the third run to the opposing pitcher, appeared to vent at home plate umpire Derryl Cousins between innings. From my seat, it did not look like he had any beef with an ump who was not exactly bending over backwards to make life easy for Lee, the pitcher.

When it was Beckett’s turn to bat, he had a man on first, as Marcus Scutaro opened the sixth with the first hit of the night for Boston.

In an obvious bunt situation, the big pitcher looked every bit like a guy who had not batted since Spring Training.

Unable to get a bunt down before the second strike and forced to swing, he bounced to Rollins for a ready-made 6-4-3 twin killing.

The game was effectively over at that point, as Lee cruised with a 3-0 lead, two outs and nobody on base.

As an oft-wise baseball scribe once said, “One of the beauties of baseball is that games turn on the seemingly little things as well as the big ones.”