Cliff Lee's Long, Strange Trip Leads Back to World Series With Rangers

by John Hickey

Filed under: Giants, Mariners, Phillies, Rangers, Yankees, World Series, American League Championship Series

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cliff Lee came to spring training with the Seattle Mariners in Peoria, Ariz.

About 10 miles down Bell Ave. in the adjacent town of Surprise, the Texas Rangers were in camp.

Lee, the former Cy Young Award winner two years and four teams ago (2008 with the Indians) got a chance to see the Rangers from afar, and he liked what he saw.

"In spring training, I thought I'd be here with the Mariners. We all did. Now I'm here," Lee said. while standing near the mound in Rangers Ballpark and holding his son, Jaxon, as he and his teammates celebrated the Rangers' American League Championship Series title win Friday night. "But you had to respect Texas. For the last three or four years when I'd seen them, they could always hit.

"Watching them this spring, they seemed a little better, somehow. They had a little more pitching. Their defense was better. It was obvious they would win a ton of games."

And they were going to get better still. After adding Vladimir Guerrero as the DH in January, general manager Jon Daniels stretched the budget thin to bring in Lee from the Mariners and catcher Bengie Molina from the Giants.

 

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