Cliff Lee is Phenomenal

In my existence, I have never seen a pitcher be as commanding and dominant on a stage as big as this. Lee could do no wrong last night and repeatedly made Yankee hitters look silly and foolish and he racked up 10 strikeouts.

With a 6-1 win last night, the Phillies inched 3 wins closer to the grand prize.

Game 1 couldn't have gone any better if you're a Phils fan.

Lee gave the Phillies an absolutely outstanding performance, where at no point during the game were you worried the Phillies wouldn't hang on.

If James Bond played baseball, he would've been Cliff Lee last night.  As the game went on, every fan seemed to be infused with Lee’s exuding confidence. Lee didn’t just look focused - he looked suave. From the nonchalant catch of Johnny Damon’s sky high pop-up, to the slick behind-the-back snag of Robinson Cano’s one-hop grounder, the Phils ace put on a show for the ages.

Game 2 is tonight. Pedro Martinez vs AJ Burnett.

Maybe the confidence Lee instilled in me yesterday hasn’t worn off yet, but I'm predicting another Phillies victory. If they Yankees want to have a chance, the oft-wild Burnett better be careful pitching to the most locked in player in baseball.

Ryan Howard hit .320 with 39 homers against right handers this year. Burnett is right handed.

Burnett will undoubtedly have his hands full, but I’m guessing Yankees manager Joe Girardi will elect to pitch around Howard as much as possible (he had no problem doing this when his former Marlins team would face the Big Fella).

It’s just too bad that the rest of the Phillies lineup will make him pay for it.

One down, three to go.

(picture courtesy of phillyphaithful.com)