SURPRISE, Ariz. – The highly anticipated Cactus League debut of Cliff Lee was quick, efficient, strike-filled and to the point.
It was the same type of pitching that has helped Lee become one of the top pitchers in all of baseball and earned him the 2008 American League Cy Young Award.
Lee pitched three innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking just one batter and striking out one in the Mariners’ 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. He threw a total of 46 pitches, with 36 of them being strikes.
“I felt like I threw a lot of strikes, used most all of my pitches,” Lee said “I want to locate fastballs. That’s the No. 1 thing for me right now.
“I was pleased with where that was at, so I was able to use more of my pitches than anticipated.”
The only run Lee allowed came in the third inning, when he allowed a leadoff single to Ray Olmedo, followed by another single to Julio Borbon to put runners on the corners. Lee then got Esteban German to ground into a double play that allowed the run to score.
The run didn’t bother Lee as much as the leadoff walk he issued to Chris Davis in the second inning.
“I walked one guy, and I wasn’t really happy with that, but other than that, I felt like I threw a lot of strikes and used all of my pitches,” Lee said.
Lee was pretty solid, but Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu knows Lee can be even better.
“Lee was good,” Wakamatsu said. “I thought he was up in the zone, but again, it was nice to get him out there pitching. There were no problems with the ankle. Everything was good.
“He’s just working on feel right now.”
Lee’s feel definitely is improving, though. Both he and Wakamatsu pointed to the simulated game he pitched last week as an example.
“I felt a lot better today,” said Lee, who underwent surgery last month to remove a bone spur from his left foot.
“I wasn’t as erratic. The other day, I was trying to throw a fastball away to a left-handed hitter, and I hit him.”
Said Wakamatsu: “I know he didn’t feel like he commanded the ball like he could, but it’s early. Watching the (simulated) game the other day, he ended up hitting two guys. I think we’re a foot closer in that direction, and I saw some good pitches at times. He just needs to get out there and pitch.”
Lee will get that chance on Monday in Tucson, when he’ll start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That start will have less attention than Wednesday’s start, which helped attract a crowd of 6,031 and several members of the national media who came to see the Mariners’ coveted offseason acquisition make his debut.
Lee answered questions about his first spring start and re-answered questions about being traded from the Phillies to the Mariners and aboout his pending free agency.
After a few months, his answers haven’t really changed.
“For me to worry about it or to get frustrated about it, it’s pointless, because I have no control over it,” he said.
“I’m trying to make the best of the situation. We’ve got a good team, and I like where I’m at. It’s not a bad thing.”
When asked about his pending free agency, he joked with writers acting as if he didn’t hear the question the first few times it was asked, but he relented and said what he’s been saying in the past.
“I’ve been asked that question a few times, but I’m focused on preparing for the season,” he said. “If I sign here, great. If that doesn’t work out and I’m a free agent, that’s good too. It’s a win-win situation.
“Heck, I could be traded again. You never know what’s going to happen. That’s the nature of this business.”
It’s safe to say the Mariners won’t harbor any thoughts of trading him in the near future. Whether they start contract negotiations hasn’t been determined, but no talks have taken place, and Lee would prefer to not have negotiations going on during the season.
“When the season starts, I want to focus on pitching and not worry about contractual talks and answering questions about it,” he said. “I want to focus on the opposing teams.
“I don’t want to have to deal with that during the season.”
Most of what Lee said Wednesday he has said before, but he did talk candidly about the team he has joined and what his experience has been like. He said the transition has been easy for him.
“That’s the way I am,” he said. “I’m pretty laid-back. It’s a bunch of good guys here, and it’s not hard to fit in with this group – a lot of good people, from the coaches to the trainers to the players, the management.
“They’ve done it right, and it didn’t take long to see that. It’s a good environment.”
In the end, that environment might help the Mariners keep Lee for more than one year.
“It didn’t take me long to realize there are good people here,” he said. “It’s a good organization. In free agency, you don’t get the luxury to spend some time with a team and the guys and see how you’re going to like it. Looking at it that way, I’ve got an opportunity to do that, where in free agency you don’t.”
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners
