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Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 to 2014.

Early life and college career
Clifton Phifer Lee was born on August 30, 1978, in Benton, Arkansas, to Steve and Sharon Lee. He was named Clifton after his maternal grandfather, while Phifer was his mother's maiden name. Lee was one of three children, with an older brother named Chad and a sister named Cara, and their father supported the family as a firefighter. After retiring from that industry, Steve Lee joined the Benton City Council as an alderman. Both of Lee's parents were adolescent athletes. His father was a wide receiver for the Benton Panthers high school American football team in the 1970s, and while his mother was missing one hand due to a birth defect, she was a softball pitcher for a local church league. One of Lee's first athletic coaches was Wes Gardner, who had played in Major League Baseball (MLB) before returning to Benton and coaching American Legion Baseball. Although he also played American football and basketball, by the time he arrived at Benton High School, Lee was singularly focused on baseball. He had trouble with pitch command early in his high school career, with coach Mark Balisterri saying that Lee "threw the ball all over the place" as a sophomore, but in his final season, he pitched two no-hitters.

Although Lee missed some time pitching during his senior year of high school after a shoulder injury forced him to become a center fielder, his 91 mph fastball speed nevertheless attracted the attention of professional baseball scouts. The Florida Marlins selected Lee out of high school in the eighth round of the 1997 MLB Draft, but player and team failed to come to terms on a contract, and Lee instead enrolled in Meridian Community College in Mississippi. Lee had originally committed to play college baseball for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, but he reneged when he learned that NCAA Division I baseball players were ineligible for the MLB draft until their junior year. Catcher Chris Curry, who had played against Lee for Conway High School, recruited him for Meridian instead. He was the team's ace, entering the 1998 JUCO World Series with a 9–1 win–loss record, 2.82 earned run average (ERA), and .178 batting average against in 13 games started. Meridian was eliminated early in the tournament after losing 13–5 to Indian Hills Community College. The Baltimore Orioles selected Lee in the 20th round, 609th overall, of the 1998 MLB Draft, but he declined their offer in favor of accepting an athletic scholarship at the University of Arkansas.

Having turned down Louisiana State University, Lee joined the Arkansas Razorbacks for their 2000 season. He underwhelmed coach Norm DeBriyn with a 4–3 record and 4.46 ERA in 16 games, nine of which were starts. Lee struck out 77 batters but allowed 45 hits and 52 walks in $64 1/3$ innings pitched. Difficulties with his stamina sometimes required Lee to pitch out of the bullpen rather than starting games. He also ran into conflict with his coaches at Arkansas due to what his agent Darek Braunecker referred to as Lee's "renegade personality". Although Lee received a three-game suspension in Arkansas for violating an unspecified team rule, DeBriyn asserted that "[y]ou could handle him" and said that his bullpen demotion was less about personality conflicts and more about continued command issues.

Montreal Expos organization (2000–2002)
Lee received his third MLB draft selection in 2000, when the Montreal Expos selected him in the fourth round, 105th overall. One of the scouts who observed him pitch for Arkansas had been sent to watch two other potential prospects but was impressed when Lee came to pitch in relief. He later learned that Lee had a poor reputation in MLB for refusing to sign with the two teams that had previously drafted him. This time, however, he agreed to join the Expos on a $275,000 signing bonus. Joe Jordan, the scout who signed Lee to the Expos, was unimpressed with his high walk rate, which is why Montreal waited until the fourth round to draft him, but was impressed by "the way he competed". After signing with the Expos, Lee's professional baseball career began when he was assigned to the Low-A Cape Fear Crocs of the South Atlantic League, a minor league affiliate of Montreal. In 11 starts there, Lee went 1–4 with a 5.24 ERA. He struck out 63 batters in $44 2/3$ innings, but inconsistent delivery also led to 36 walks and 50 hits, and John Sickels of Baseball America predicted that Lee would become a relief pitcher in the future.

Lee was promoted to the Class A-Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League to begin the 2001 season. The team struggled to hit but had a strong starting rotation, including Lee, who was 2–1 with a 2.96 ERA by mid-May. He spent the entire year there, going 6–7 in 21 games, all but one of which were starts, and striking out 129 batters in $109 2/3$ innings. Lee's 2.79 ERA was also the lowest of all Jupiter starting pitchers that season. During his year with the Hammerheads, Lee, who wanted every start he made to be a complete game, frequently clashed with pitching coach Ace Adams over his pitching workload. When he complained of arm fatigue to Adams, the coach placed Lee on several weeks of rest, after which Lee proclaimed that he would not tell Adams the next time he was experiencing discomfort. Despite their disagreements, it was under Adams that Lee developed the cut fastball that became one of his signature pitches.

Lee's performance in Jupiter led the Expos to promote him to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators for the 2002 season. He struck out six batters in his Eastern League debut against the Altoona Curve and allowed one earned run. After going 4–1 in May, Lee was named the Expos' Double-A Pitcher of the Month, although Harrisburg was the only team whose starting pitchers had not recorded a complete game. In 15 starts for Harrisburg, Lee went 7–2 with a 3.23 ERA and struck out 105 batters in $86 1/3$ innings. He was on pace by the end of June to break the Senators' record of 161 strikeouts in one season.

2002–2004: Breaking into the rotation
On June 27, 2002, Lee was part of a six-player trade deadline deal between the Expos and the Cleveland Indians. Montreal was making a push for the National League (NL) wild card, while Cleveland was entering a rebuild and wanted to be competitive by 2004 or 2005. As a result, the Indians sent pitching ace Bartolo Colón, pitching prospect Tim Drew, and cash to Montreal in exchange for first baseman Lee Stevens and prospects Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips. At the time of the trade, Lee was scheduled to represent the NL at the Double-A All-Star Game, but he instead played for the American League (AL) team as a representative of the Akron Aeros. He made only three starts with Akron, during which he went 2–1 with a 5.40 ERA, before receiving a promotion to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons of the International League on July 19. There, Lee went 3–2 with a 3.77 ERA in eight starts and struck out 30 batters in 43 innings.

Lee was not originally anticipated to be one of the Indians' September call-ups, as he was suffering from arm fatigue during the Bisons' postseason run, but he was one of seven players promoted from Triple-A on September 13. He made his major league debut two days later, taking the loss in the Indians' game against the Minnesota Twins. Although Lee was able to carry a shutout into the sixth-inning before he hit his pitch count limit and was pulled from the game, he left Cristian Guzmán on third base. Lee was relieved by David Riske, who allowed Guzmán to score on a sacrifice fly from Matthew LeCroy. The Indians lost the game 5–0, while Minnesota's victory clinched their first playoff berth since 1991. Lee made one other major-league start that season when he faced the Kansas City Royals on September 21. The Indians lost that game 3–2, while Lee took a no decision after allowing one run in five innings. His ERA between those two games was 1.74, and Lee struck out six batters in $10 1/3$ innings.

Lee entered the Indians' 2003 spring training in serious contention to become part of their major-league starting rotation, but he suffered an abdominal strain during the team's winter development program and was placed on rest before the first pitching workout of spring training. In response to the injury, the Indians decided that, when he was ready to pitch again, Lee would undergo extended spring training before returning to Triple-A. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list before the start of the regular season. Lee suffered a sports hernia in addition to the strained abdominal muscle, and he did not pitch in a game until May 30, when he allowed two runs and earned a no decision in a 5–2 loss for the Aeros. Lee's first major league appearance of the 2003 season came on June 30, when he was promoted to start the first game of a doubleheader. Lee earned his first MLB win in that game, taking a three-hitter into the seventh inning of Cleveland's 10–5 victory over Kansas City. After the game, both he and opposing pitcher Brad Voyles were sent back down to Triple-A to continue their development. He was promoted again on August 16 as the extra starting pitcher for an Indians rotation that was expanding from five to six. A position on the 25-man roster opened for Lee when reliever Jason Boyd was placed on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. He earned praise from manager Eric Wedge for his performance on August 22, in which he allowed two runs on six hits and struck out seven batters in eight innings of an 8–3 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Lee said that he was "[c]ompletely satisfied" with his performance, while Wedge said that the pitcher "has a tremendous focus out there and on top of that he's a competitor". Lee made a total of nine major-league starts in 2003, in which he posted a 3–3 record with a 3.61 ERA and struck out 44 batters in $52 1/3$ innings. In 14 minor league starts between Buffalo and Akron, meanwhile, Lee went 7–1 with a 2.82 ERA. That October, Lee underwent surgery to repair his preseason hernia. The procedure took place in Philadelphia, and during his hospital rehabilitation, Lee befriended fellow MLB pitcher and future teammate Roy Oswalt, who was recovering from a groin injury.

Lee made his first Opening Day roster in 2004, serving as the Indians' No. 3 starter behind C. C. Sabathia and Jason Davis. After a lengthy spring training battle for the final two spots in the rotation, Lee's place in the order was followed by Jeff D'Amico and Jason Stanford. He won his first start of the season, allowing five hits and generating three double plays in six innings of the Indians' 6–3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. After going 5–0 to begin the season, Lee suffered his first loss in 2004 on June 3, when he allowed three runs and 10 hits in $6 1/3$ innings to the Anaheim Angels. The Angels won the game 5–2, while Lee's ERA rose from 2.87 before the start to 3.27 after. Lee was ejected from his next start on June 13 after throwing what home plate umpire Matt Hollowell believed was an intentional pitch to the head of the Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey Jr.. Griffey had hit his 499th career home run off of Lee the inning prior, which Lee said made it "obviously [look] like I was throwing at him" during Griffey's next at bat. Lee maintained that the pitch was accidental, while Griffey declined to provide his own opinion to reporters. MLB issued Lee a six-game suspension for the incident, which the pitcher announced that he would appeal. At the time the league made their decision, Lee was quarantining in the Indians' hotel out of concern that he had contracted chickenpox from his then-two-year-old son Jaxon. On Wedge's advice, Lee agreed to drop his appeal, as the team had a conveniently-scheduled day off that would allow Lee to rejoin the rotation without interruption.

After going 10–1 in his first 19 starts of the season, Lee failed to carry his momentum through the end of the year. He fell into a six-game slump between July 21 and September 2, during which he carried a 10.51 ERA. Frustrations with his own performance came to a head on August 3, when Lee allowed six runs in $4 1/3$ innings to the Toronto Blue Jays before throwing his hat and glove into the stands and storming to the bench. His losing streak came to an end on September 8, when Lee allowed four earned runs in five innings of a 9–5 victory over the Seattle Mariners. It was his first win in the 10 starts he made since July 16, when Cleveland defeated Seattle 18–6. Lee won again on September 23, helping the Indians to a 9–7 victory over Minnesota despite allowing five runs in $5 2/3$ innings. After the game, Lee described his own season performance as going "from doing real good to real bad", and that he needed to "figure out how to cut those [losing] stretches short". He was able to finish strong, winning the last game of the season 5–2 against Minnesota and tying Jake Westbrook for the most wins that season on the Indians pitching staff. Lee finished the season 14–8 with a 5.43 ERA in 33 starts, striking out 161 batters in 179 innings while allowing 30 home runs, 108 earned runs, and 188 hits.

2005–2006: Breakout seasons

 * 2005
 * 2006

2007: Minor-league setback
Lee began the 2007 season on the disabled list after suffering a strained right abdominal muscle during his winter training and conditioning regimen. While he was recovering, his place in the starting rotation was taken by Fausto Carmona, who the Indians sent down to Triple-A at the end of April to prepare for Lee's return. Lee made his first start of the season on May 3, during which he allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings, although the Indians came back to win the game 6–5 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He continued to struggle as the season progressed, going 5–8 with a 6.38 ERA in his first 16 starts, including three consecutive starts in which he allowed seven or more runs. The Indians told reporters that they did not believe he was suffering any lingering physical issues from his early-season injury, but Kelly Shoppach speculated that some of Lee's difficulties came from trying to catch up to his peers after missing the first month of the season. On July 21, Lee was criticized for hitting Sammy Sosa of the Texas Rangers in the head with a pitch during a game that was meant to honor Sosa's 600th career home run. Catcher Victor Martinez verbally confronted Lee between innings, and the Indians held a 25-minute players-only meeting after the 8–5 loss. After allowing eight runs in a 14–9 loss to the Boston Red Sox in his next start on July 26, Lee was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.


 * 2007

2008–2009: Cy Young Award and aftermath

 * 2008
 * 2009

Philadelphia Phillies (2009)

 * 2009
 * 2009 World Series

Seattle Mariners (2010)
On December 16, 2009, the Phillies traded Lee to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for three prospects: pitchers Phillippe Aumont and J. C. Ramírez, and outfielder Tyson Gillies. Earlier that day, Philadelphia had acquired Roy Halladay from Toronto in exchange for Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek, and Michael Taylor. The Mariners' primary goal for the 2009–10 offseason was to acquire a pitching ace, and their pursuit of free agent Rich Harden failed when Harden signed a more lucrative contract with the Texas Rangers. The following day, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Seattle's Jack Zduriencik that he would be willing to trade Lee if he could acquire Halladay. The trade took Lee by surprise, as it had happened while he was discussing a contract extension with Philadelphia, but he acquiesced that the Phillies "had an opportunity to get the best pitcher in baseball" and "can't blame them for choosing Roy Halladay over me". It was the first time in MLB history that two pitchers who had won the Cy Young Award had been traded on the same day. That February, Lee underwent a minor foot surgery to remove a bone spur that had broken loose. While the procedure occurred close to the beginning of spring training, Zduriencik did not expect that it would inhibit Lee's preseason training.

During an exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 15, Lee threw a fastball over the head of opposing pitcher Chris Snyder, which resulted in MLB suspending Lee for the first five games of the 2010 regular season. Such a suspension would interfere with Zduriencik's plans to pair Lee with Félix Hernández at the top of Seattle's starting rotation. Lee appealed the league's decision, and both he and the Mariners' head athletic trainer argued that the pitch had been unintentional: Lee's recovery from foot surgery, as well as an abdominal strain that he had suffered earlier in the game by colliding with Snyder, had caused him to throw a wild pitch. MLB accepted Lee's argument, and both the suspension and associated fine were rescinded on April 21. Lee missed the beginning of the season regardless, as the abdominal strain had forced him onto the disabled list. His first start of the season came on April 30, when he earned a no decision by striking out eight batters in seven innings against the Rangers. The game went into extra innings before Elvis Andrus scored on a wild pitch from Mariners reliever Brandon League, allowing Texas to win the game 2–0 in 12 innings. Lee's first win with the Mariners came on May 11, when he allowed one run in $7 1/3$ innings of a 5–1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

In 13 starts for Seattle, Lee posted an 8–3 record and 2.34 ERA. He struck out 89 batters and issued only six walks in $103 2/3$ innings pitched. His longevity on the mound proved to be a particular asset; on June 30, with a 7–4 defeat of the New York Yankees, Lee pitched his third complete game in a row. He was the first MLB pitcher to do so since his former teammate C. C. Sabathia in 2008, and the first Mariner since Randy Johnson in 1998. That month, he received his second career AL Pitcher of the Month title. Despite his prowess on the mound, Seattle quickly fell behind in the AL West. By June 18, the Mariners were 16 games under .500 and $12 1/2$ games behind in the pennant race.

Texas Rangers (2010)
As the Mariners' season broke down and a postseason berth became unlikely, Lee became a trade target for multiple teams who wanted to improve their pitching rotation before the MLB trade deadline. The New York Yankees were in talks to acquire Lee by sending catcher Jesus Montero, second baseman David Adams, and pitching prospect Zach McAllister to Seattle, but the deal fell through after Adams sprained his ankle. The Mariners attempted to use the injury to restructure the trade package, possibly to include Ivan Nova from New York, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman refused, effectively killing the trade. On July 9, 2010, the same day negotiations fell through with the Yankees, the Texas Rangers reached an agreement to trade first baseman Justin Smoak, prospects Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, and Matthew Lawson, and $2.25 million to Seattle in exchange for Lee.

At the time he joined the new team, Lee had already been selected to represent the AL in the 2010 All-Star Game; the trade meant that instead of appearing as a Mariner, he appeared as a Ranger. He pitched the fourth inning for the AL team, retiring Martin Prado, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Howard in only six pitches.
 * 2010

2010 World Series

 * 2010 World Series

Second stint in Philadelphia (2011–2014)

 * 2011
 * 2012
 * 2013

2014–2015: Elbow injury and end of career
After Cole Hamels was sidelined by biceps tendinitis, Lee replaced him as the Phillies' opening day starter for the 2014 season. Facing Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers, Lee allowed eight runs in five innings and left the game with a 14.40 ERA. The Phillies won the game, which featured 31 hits between the two teams, by a 14-10 margin, and Lee became the eighth pitcher of the live-ball era to be credited with eight earned runs but earn the win in a game. After a start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 18 in which Lee threw 116 pitches, he began to complain of elbow soreness, and doctors diagnosed him with a strained pronator teres muscle in his left arm. Lee later revealed that the elbow had begun to bother him after he threw a career-high 128 pitches while facing the Atlanta Braves in April, but that it had mostly abated until the Reds game. The elbow strain was the first arm injury of Lee's baseball career, both professional and amateur. After completing a rehabilitation assignment for the Low-A Clearwater Threshers, manager Ryne Sandberg gave Lee an extra week of rest before activating him on July 21. Lee struggled in his first start after the elbow injury, allowing six runs and a career-tying 12 hits in $5 2/3$ innings against the Giants.

Lee suffered a recurrence of the elbow strain on July 31, leaving his start against the Washington Nationals partway through the third inning. He was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain and was originally placed on the 15-day disabled list, but on August 7, the Phillies decided to shut Lee down for the year so that he could rest and rehabilitate the injury non-surgically. Pitching only $81 1/3$ innings in 2014, Lee went 4-5 with a 3.65 ERA. It was the first time in six years that he did not cross the 200-inning mark in a season. Lee continued to feel pain in his elbow after the season ended, and he was later diagnosed with a torn left common flexor tendon, a career-threatening injury for a 36-year-old pitcher like Lee. On March 16, 2015, the Phillies placed Lee on the 60-day disabled list, and he returned to Arkansas to recover. While doctors recommended that Lee undergo surgery, he wanted to avoid the six- to eight-month recovery time such a process would entail, and he attempted non-surgical rehabilitation for the third time. Lee did not pitch professionally at all in 2015, and at the end of the season, the Phillies, who had the option of retaining him for another year at $27.5 million, bought out the remainder of his contract for $12.5 million.

Retirement
At the end of the 2013 MLB season, Lee told reporters that he would contemplate retirement from professional baseball when his contract expired with the Phillies, in either 2015 or 2016. The question of his retirement resurfaced in 2015, as he waited to receive an update on his elbow. Lee told Meghan Montemurro that "basically if I have the surgery this season will be done, possibly my career I guess. I don't know." Lee spent the season rehabilitating his elbow non-surgically, and at the end of the year, he received medical clearance to pitch, and a report from CBS Sports said that he would return to MLB in 2016 "if he finds the right fit". The following month, his agent gave an interview with MLB Network Radio in which he clarified that Lee had not decided whether he would attempt a comeback, and that his client needed a "perfect fit" to pitch in 2016, "from a competitive standpoint, from a financial standpoint, from just an overall opportunistic standpoint".

On February 24, 2016, Lee's agent announced that he would not be playing that season. While not an official retirement announcement, this appeared to signal the end of Lee's MLB career. Lee finished his career having played 328 games in 13 seasons, of which 324 were starts, 29 were complete games, and 12 were shutouts. He had a 143–91 record and 3.52 ERA while striking out 1,824 batters in $2,156 2/3$ innings.

Honors
In 2020, Lee was one of 18 first-time nominees to appear on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He did not meet the five percent voting threshold to appear on subsequent ballots, receiving votes on only two out of 397 ballots.