On Cliff Lee and History and Awesomeness

Maybe it is predictable that I was going to post on this today, but I'm willing to be categorized this way.

Here's another time where I'm "using" my blog to commemorate something.  Regular readers might recall the day that I hung out with Joe Flacco, and how I used the blog to commemorate that.  Maybe it's cheesy, but truth be told, something happened last night that deserves to be heralded.  Of course I am talking about the performance of Cliff Lee versus the Red Sox.

Before I get to that, the first thing worth mentioning is that the Phillies are the first team to win 50 games this season.  As of tonight they are 20 games over .500 and 5 games over the Braves in the NL East.  Truly awesome for Phillies fans.

By all standards, Cliff Lee was masterful in June.  Tonight was Cliff's third straight shutout. 

Pop quiz: who was the last pitcher to throw back to back to back shutouts?  You are correct, it was Brandon Webb back in 2007.  Extra credit: who was the last Phillies pitcher to accomplish the feat?  Correct again, Robin Roberts, in 1950.

Cliff has now gone 32 innings without giving up a run, which ranks fifth in Phillies history.  And he did this against the best offense in baseball.  Sure, Ortiz and Crawford weren't in the lineup, but it is still very formidable (see: Pedroia, Ellsbury, Gonzalez, etc.). 

Cliff only gave up two hits.  The first hit he gave up came in the top of the 6th inning.  And one more thing: Cliff had an RBI on a sac fly that was hit to the warning track in left field.

Cliff's June numbers?  5-0, 42 IP, 21 H, 1 ER (0.21 ERA).   Whoa, this guy is good.  No wonder he is one of the players I collect!

Adding to the awesomeness that is Cliff Lee is that he is a really down to earth, nice, humble guy.  That makes me want to root for him even more, if that is even possible.

Sometimes I sit back and think about our rotation right now.  Sure, Oswalt is hurt, and so is Blanton.  But Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels? On one team? In one rotation?  Wow, we're lucky in Philly right now.

Here's some Phillies historical awesomeness to show off:

From the Associated Press:
NOTES: Lee’s previous best was a 27-inning scoreless streak during his Cy Young Award season with Cleveland in 2008. ... Lee has four complete games this season, second in the NL to teammate Roy Halladay’s five. ... The last time the Red Sox had just two hits was June 9, 2010, against Cleveland. Their previous low this season was four hits, done five times. ... Boston’s Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3, snapping an 11-game hitting streak....Beckett had allowed only four homers this season. ... The last time the Phillies reached 50 wins in fewer than 81 games was during their NL pennant-winning season in 1993. They started 50-21 that year.

It was almost a privilege to watch this game tonight. 

I think I am going to focus a bit more on my Cliff Lee collection.  Somehow I have a feeling the prices of his cards are going to rise as the months roll on.