Monday, October 25, 2010

Cliff Lee in control

He may end up in a New York Yankees uniform in 2011. Or not. But chances are, it may be a long time before anyone puts together as efficient a season as the one Cliff Lee just completed.

The 12-9 record he compiled for Seattle and Texas does not come close to reflecting the historic nature of what Lee, the Rangers left-hander who is scheduled to start against the Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night, has accomplished.

In 212 1/3 innings, Lee walked only 18 batters, two intentionally. This is how remarkable that is: No pitcher in the last 70 years has thrown so many innings and yet walked so few.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1900, only two other pitchers who threw 200 or more innings in a season had fewer than 20 walks: Babe Adams of the 1920 Pittsburgh Pirates (262 innings, 18 walks), and Red Lucas of the 1933 Cincinnati Reds (219/18). Neither Adams nor Lewis struck out even 100 batters. Lee had 185 strikeouts.

''The ones that have had similar command are sitting in the Hall of Fame or on their way in," said Mike Maddux, the Texas pitching coach, whose brother, Greg, a four-time Cy Young Award winner, is one of those pitchers.

Lee's 10.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the second best among qualifiers since 1900, trailing only Bret Saberhagen's 11.00 mark for the Mets in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Lee was far ahead of the record until walking 11 batters the final two months.

This all happened in a season Lee began on the disabled list with a left abdominal strain. He did not make his first start until April 30.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Velasquez stuns Lesnar, claims UFC title

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Cain Velasquez weathered an early storm from Brock Lesnar and proved why he has long been regarded as one of the top prospects in the sport, pounding Lesnar in a stunningly brutal and one-sided fight to win the UFC heavyweight championship at the Honda Center in the main event of UFC 121.

Velasquez hurt Lesnar with nearly every punch he threw and knocked him down several times. After the final knockdown, Velasquez pounded him with elbows and punches before referee Herb Dean stopped it at 4:12 of the first.

“He was better than me tonight,” Lesnar said.

Lesnar roared out of his corner and threw a knee, but Velasquez answered with a hard combination that opened a small gash under Lesnar’s left eye. After they grappled briefly, Lesnar took Velasquez down hard.

Velasquez, though, was calm and worked back to his feet quickly. After one more Lesnar takedown, he bounced up and began letting his hands go. He battered the retreating Lesnar all over the ring, pummeling him with hard shots until Dean halted it.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Roy Halladay no-hits Reds in NLDS

Nearly an hour after pitching the game of his life for the second time this season, Roy Halladay walked through the Philadelphia Phillies' clubhouse. No one spoke to him as he made his way across the room to his locker in the corner.

Philadelphia starting pitcher Roy Halladay celebrates after throwing a no-hitter to defeat Cincinnati 4-0 during Game 1 of the National League Division Series in Philadelphia.

A sheet of white paper was taped up there, the first few paragraphs of a breaking news story someone printed out. "Phillies' Roy Halladay throws playoff no-hitter,” the headline said. Halladay studied it for a few seconds. He never looked at the unopened bottle of Dom Perignon 1999 sitting in a bucket of ice to the right of him. He pulled his hooded sweatshirt over his head and disappeared through a doorway.

For 13 seasons, Roy Halladay had waited for this moment, as did the rest of baseball. In 2 hours and 34 minutes Wednesday, he made the most memorable postseason debut ever as the Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.

"It was a lot of fun,” Halladay said, as only he could.