High and tight, courtesy of Cliff Lee, 2007.

1. Lee was drafted 3 different times, first in the 8th round of the 1997 draft by the Florida Marlins. He opted to go to community college instead. He was again drafted in 1998 by the Orioles in the 20th round, and again opted for college, this time attending the University of Arkansas. Lee then was drafted in 2000 by the Montreal Expos in the 4th round.

2. Cliff Lee’s time with the Indians began when he was part of a big trade between the Expos and the Tribe in 2002, when the lefty was dealt along with Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.

3. 2008 was Cliff Lee’s career year when he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA en route to winning the AL CY Young award. Lee received 24 out of 28 first-place votes. The other 4 votes? Some guy named Roy Halladay. But 2005 was also a big season for Cliff, as he went 18-5 and came in 4th in the Cy Young voting.

4. Cliff Lee had some 2008 season, and his 2009 campaign has been a good one also, despite his 7-9 W-L record. But it was almost exactly 2 years ago (July 26, 2007) that Lee was on the losing end of a 14-9 shellacking by the Red Sox. Lee was booed on his way off the mound, tipped his cap to the Cleveland fans, and was subsequently demoted to AAA until September rosters were expanded and he came back up to the big club. In the start prior to that loss to the Red Sox, Lee and battery mate Victor Martinez had a disagreement after the pitcher hit Sammy Sosa in the head with a pitch on a night when the Texas Rangers were honoring Sosa for cranking his 600th homer. Martinez felt as though Lee did not seem concerned enough about Sosa’s condition after the beaning, as evidenced by Lee not going to home plate to check on Sosa.

5. Lee’s 2008 won-loss percentage (.880) is the 11th best in major league baseball history.

6. Lee caught some flak after he was roughed up on Opening Day this year when comments he made about Victor Martinez were perceived as chucking his catcher under the bus. Lee referenced a ball that Martinez was unable to catch and said, “”If Victor Martinez lays out and is able to catch that ball, those runs don’t score.” Lee clarified his comments by saying, “What I was trying to say is that this is a game of inches. A couple of inches like that is the difference of hits and runs.”

7. His middle name is Phifer.

8. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Lee has already vested an extra $1 million bonus to his 2010 club option for winning the Cy Young Award in 2008. Instead of an $8 million contract, he is owed $9 million.

9. Cliff Lee faced the Phillies just once in his career in an interleague matchup in June 2007 that the Indians won 10-1 at then Jacob’s Field. The Phillies sole run came by way of a Ryan Howard solo jack. Lee has never faced the Mets.

10. He will most likely enjoy far more run support from the Phils than he did the Indians so far in 2009. Lee leads the majors in quality starts with 18, but has just a 7-9 W-L record. The Indians have scored 3 or less runs in 12 of 22 games that Lee has started this year. By comparison, Jamie Moyer has received run support of 3 or less in just 5 of 20 starts this year.