ESPN Buster Olney Blog

We are accustomed to seeing October tension reflected in the eyes of the pitchers. Orel Hershiser's eyes in 1988 were intense -- the Bulldog locked in like a hyper border collie. In Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Jack Morris had the eyes of a linebacker, and he looked like he was ready to unhinge hitters. Who will ever forget Calvin Schiraldi's eyes of uncertainty, at the worst possible moment in 1986?

Cliff Lee had the eyes of ... well, let's be honest here. He looked like a guy pitching to the kids in a family reunion softball game.

When Johnny Damon lifted a popup over the infield in the seventh, did Lee scream at the other infielders, like a caffeinated traffic cop? No. He flipped his glove to the side and snared the ball. Jorge Posada hit a chopper in front of the mound a few batters later, and Lee jogged over, picked up the ball and slapped a round-house tag on the catcher's rear end, the way a dad does with his kid.

Robinson Cano chopped a grounder through the middle, and naturally, Lee reached behind his back to snag the grounder and made the throw, and as the Phillies' infielders chuckled, Lee smiled, too, and shrugged. No big deal. When Lee finished off one of the greatest pitching performances in World Series history, the nonchalance almost became awkward, in this way: All the other Phillies understood how great Lee's performance was, but the pitcher responded like it was the fifth game of spring training, telling catcher Carlos Ruiz "Attaboy" and then moving through a series of brief handshakes.

Charlie Manuel tried to congratulate him on the field. "Way to throw the ball, man!" Manuel called out enthusiastically, and Lee just kept on moving, as always. We think of time of possession as a football stat, but it was appropriate for Lee's start, as these numbers from Jeremy Mills of ESPN Stats & Information detail:

Cliff Lee -- 54 minutes
CC Sabathia -- 53 minutes
Other Yankees -- 41 minutes (includes mid-inning pitching changes)
Yankees Total - 1:34

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lee is the third pitcher in World Series history to strike out 10 or more batters in one game without allowing a walk, and he's the first do so without allowing an earned run. The other 10-strikeout, no-walk pitchers were Don Newcombe in Game 1 of the 1949 World Series and Deacon Phillippe in the first ever World Series game in 1903.

Lee's brilliance was based on simple stuff. He threw different pitches all over the strike zone, and all for strikes; he was a constantly moving target for the Yankees batters. It wasn't until his 10th and 11th pitches that he repeated any particular pitch, and this random selection continued throughout the game. Consider the sequences of pitches that Alex Rodriguez saw, in his first three plate appearances:

First inning

1. Fastball, middle. No balls, 1 strike.
2. Fastball, outside corner. No balls, 2 strikes.
3. Fastball, high (he tried to get A-Rod to chase the pitch out of the strike zone). Fouled off.
4. Cut fastball inside, 86 mph; A-Rod swings over the top for a strikeout.

Fourth inning

1. Changeup, low and away. A-Rod swings and misses.
2. Fastball, inside; A-Rod swings and misses, running the count to 0-2.
3. Fastball, way inside; 1 ball and 2 strikes.
4. Fastball, inside; 2-2.
5. Fastball, high; 3-2.
6. Changeup away; A-Rod swings and misses.

Seventh inning

1. Changeup, away; Ball 1.
2. Fastball, away; A-Rod fouls it off.
3. Curveball, 74 mph. It was, to that point, the slowest pitch that Lee had thrown in the entire game; it was the first breaking ball Lee had thrown to Rodriguez. And A-Rod, off-balance, chopped a grounder to third base.

A-Rod has been hitting because he kept it simple, but he said Lee kept it more simple, Mark Hale writes.

Besides Don Larsen, what pitching performances have we seen in World Series history that were as good as this one? Jack Morris in Game 7 of 1991. Bob Gibson, in the 1968 World Series. Sandy Koufax in the 1963 World Series. Sandy Koufax shutting out the Twins on two days' rest, in a clinching game, in 1965. Steve Blass pitching a complete game in Game 7 in the Pirates' championship win in 1971. Randy Johnson dominating the Yankees in Game 2 of the 2001 World Series. Johnny Podres beating the Yankees in the 1955 World Series, as the Dodgers won their first championship. Josh Beckett shutting down the Yankees in Game 6 to clinch the 2003 World Series. Chris Carpenter in the 2006 World Series. But it's a short, short list.

Lee's heart rate seemed to be about the same after the game, as well, when he spoke with reporters. "I've always been that way," he said. "This is the same game I've been playing my whole life, and this is the stage that I've wanted to get to from a little kid. Now that I'm here, I've already put all the work in, there's no sense in being nervous and worried. It's time to go out there and let my talents and skills take over and execute pitches. I've already done everything I know I need to do to prepare for it, so there's no reason for me to be nervous. That's kind of how I look at it."

It was only one game, but time will tell if this game will create some anxiety in the Yankees' hitters, knowing that they're now behind in the Series, trying to do more than they can in a given at-bat, and knowing that they have to face Lee at least one more time.

From Jeremy Mills of ESPN Stats & Information, on why Lee won:

1. He tied his season high with 16 swinging strikes; 5 changeups, 4 curves, 4 fastballs, 3 sliders.
2. He limited the Yankees to one hit against his off-speed pitches (1-for-15, six strikeouts).
3. Yankees hitters chased pitches out of the zone all night, and were even more aggressive with runners on base. (MLB average chase percentage is 25 percent.) The Yankees chased 41.7 percent of overall pitches out of the zone (40/72), and 58.3 percent of out-of-zone pitches with runners on (14/24). Combined, they were 0-for-18 with 9 strikeouts in those situations. With RISP, they chased 6 of 8 pitches, with no hits. Lee now has the lowest career postseason ERA with a minimum of 3 starts (all his starts come from this postseason):

Cliff Lee -- 0.54
Harry Brecheen -- 0.83
Claude Osteen -- 0.86
Babe Ruth -- 0.87
Sherry Smith -- 0.89

Around the press box

Lee was masterful, writes Andy Martino. He was a cool customer, writes Phil Sheridan.

Chase Utley benefited from time off. Rich Hofmann writes about other reporters.

CC Sabathia was good, but the other guy was a lot better, writes Tyler Kepner. The umpires hope to be unnoticed in this series, writes Jack Curry. I thought Gerry Davis had a strong game behind the plate last night.

A-Rod and Utley

From Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information, on A-Rod and Chase Utley: A-Rod should take no shame in his three-strikeout game in a World Series. A Yankee has struck out three times or more in a World Series game 36 times. Among them: Babe Ruth did it once in 1921; Mickey Mantle did it in 1953 and 1956. Reggie Jackson did it in 1978. All three were known for far better things.

Chase Utley has reached base in 26 straight postseason games. It's worth noting, Simon says, that Utley struck out four times in four at-bats in his first postseason game, against the Rockies in 2007, and he's reached base at least once in every postseason game since.

Beyond the fact that Alex Rodriguez won't have to face Cliff Lee on Thursday night, history tells us that there is reason for him to hope for better results in Game 2, writes Simon: "A-Rod struck out three times [Wednesday]. What does he do the day after a three-strikeout game? Well, he had a pair of three-strikeout games in 2009. He had one against the Phillies on May 24. The next day in Texas, he went 5-5 with 4 RBI. The other was July 30 against the White Sox. He went 3-5 with an RBI against the White Sox the next day. So in two games in 2009 where he had three strikeouts, his combined totals from the next game: 8-10, 5 RBI."

The Patience Index

These guys saw the most pitches during their at-bats in Game 1.

Game 2

Pedro Martinez no longer has the game-changing fastball that he had the last time he pitched in the playoffs at Yankee Stadium. His success this year has been rooted in his ability to pitch out of trouble, writes Jeremy Mills of ESPN Stats & Information -- and this is something that the Yankees don't normally allow opposing pitchers to do. Look at what they have done in hitter's counts, meaning counts of 2-0, 2-1 and any three-ball count:

Pedro is returning to New York, writes Jeff Blair. Pedro is coming back to a stage he knows, writes John Harper. Pedro is not the same Pedro, writes Ian O'Connor.

• A.J. Burnett lost to the Phillies in May, allowing five runs (and three homers) in six innings. He was hammered when he didn't keep the ball down. On 57 pitches in the lower third or below the zone, he allowed just one hit in 11 at-bats; the 38 pitches he left higher were smacked for seven hits in 14 at-bats, including three home runs and a triple.

He's been much better so far in the playoffs, but he's been leaving the ball up more than he did during the regular season. During the postseason, just 45.6 percent of his pitches have been down, and when they are, opponents have a .219 average. If he doesn't keep the ball down Thursday night, he could be in for a short outing against the Phillies' powerful lineup.

Moves, deals and decisions

1. The Diamondbacks don't have to make a final decision on whether to pick up the $8.5 million option on Brandon Webb for 2010 until five days after the World Series, and their plans are to wait until that deadline before picking up the option. What's going to happen between now and then? Well, not another physical examination, apparently. Webb had shoulder surgery earlier this year. "I don't expect any further more physicals," said Webb's agent, Jonathan Maurer. "He is progressing great, as he had 100 percent range of motion five days after the procedure. While official notice is likely not until five days after the Series, we expect Brandon to be a D-back in 2010 and be ready for Opening Day after normal prep for spring training. Brandon loves playing for Arizona and hopes the team will be a contender in 2010 and beyond."

2. The Mariners have jumped into the Aroldis Chapman conversations, writes Geoff Baker.

3. Tim Hudson and the Braves are working out an extension.

4. Drayton McLane is going to review the Astros' missteps, writes Jesus Ortiz.

5. The Rangers are interviewing candidates for hitting coach next week, writes Jeff Wilson.

The McCourts

She says in court filings that she wants to buy the team; he says it's not for sale, writes Bill Shaikin. He says she had an affair and charged the team for some of the travel involved.

Other stuff

• It was not a good day for Cleveland sports fans, and Bud Shaw took the pulse.

• A White Sox prospect is impressing at the Arizona Fall League.

• Don Zimmer and Pedro Martinez disagree about what happened in 2003.

• The other players determined that Zack Greinke is The Man.

• Some Rockies made some World Series predictions, through Troy Renck.

• Ozzie Guillen wishes he was managing at the World Series, writes Chris De Luca.

• Mark McGwire needs to come clean, writes Ken Davidoff.