Cliff Lee has settled in nicely here at the Bank with his first perfect inning in the third. The key to his success—as it is for every pitcher—is those first-pitch strikes. In that regard, Lee has thrown six in a row and nine to the 11 hitters he faced through the first third of the game.
Just for good measure, Lee belted a single in his first postseason plate appearance. You don’t need it to be said, be here it goes anyway:
Cliff Lee has the greatest batting average in the history of the playoffs.
Oh, if only that were enough… three pitches after the single, Lee took off for second and swiped the bag without a throw. If that wasn’t enough he even drew a pick-off throw to second that appeared to nab him in real time. But in slow motion, Lee was safe with a step to spare.
As such, Lee has the first (and only) stolen base by a Phillies pitcher in playoff history.
But yes, we have a real pitchers’ duel brewing through the first half of the game. After five innings Lee had recorded 12 outs in a row with 11 straight first-pitch strikes. In a game earlier this season pitched by Lee, the lefty threw 16 first-pitch strikes right out of the chute.
Needless to say, Lee won that day. That first-pitch strike thing could prove to be his formula for success in Game 1, too.
Meanwhile, Jimenez tore through the Phillies’ lineup, too, with that mix of 100-mph heaters and sharp-breaking slow curves. Jimenez whiffed Chase Utley twice (more on that later) and escaped a pair of innings with a runner on first with a double play in the second and when Ryan Howard was caught stealing in the fourth.
From the jump, it appeared as if Howard spun his wheels before getting into his stolen base stride. Second baseman Clint Barmes was waiting for the big slugger to get to the bag to slap the tag on him.