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The four teams vying for a World Series berth have one thing in common: they each have one (at least) of the greatest pitchers in recent postseason history.

Some are already postseason legends, while others are just beginning to etch their place in history.

The Giants-Phillies series has elicited the most reaction regarding sheer pitching prowess, but the other teams posses two of the top postseason pitchers of all-time. 

Many great pitchers buckle under the pressure of the playoff atmosphere, these guys feed off of it. 

Here are the top ten postseason pitchers available…

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Texas Rangers pitcher, Cliff Lee had one of the 2010 MLB postseason’s best performances last night at Yankee Stadium.  He struck out 13 New York Yankees hitters, while only allowing two hits and zero runs in eight innings.

While that seems like an outstanding game, (which it is) a couple other performances have one-upped Lee when it comes down to the final stat line.

2010 is definitely the year of the pitcher (outside of 1968), a couple of hitting performances have been just as important. 

Did the slugger of your favorite postseason team make the list?

Here are the top five performances of the 2010 playoffs (besides Cliff Lee).

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This just in: Cliff Lee is good. I mean really good.

Cliff Lee could pull a Ron Burgundy right now: “Hey everyone, come see how good I look!”

Sometimes when you are getting ready to stare fate in the face, you may not be ready for the outcome.  Especially if you’ve seen it before.

Enter the New York Yankees.

Everyone has been drooling over Cliff Lee’s postseason dominance.  As a Tampa Bay Rays fan, I’ve seen it first hand.  You get one crack at Lee, typically early on in the game.  If you do not take advantage of it, then you might as well go home early. 

Once Lee gets in a groove, the only thing you can root for is a high pitch count.  And with a pitcher who paints the corners nearly as good as a guy named Greg Maddux, rooting for a high pitch count is almost the equivalent of chasing the wind.

Yes, Lee has been incredible, which might lead some to say he’s been too incredible.

Consider the New York Yankees one of them. 

Oh, of course, it was just a announcer who got opinion-happy.  It was a freudian slip of the tongue.  It doesn’t represent the feelings from the dugout.  He’s not even management.

This is the New York Yankees we’re talking about, right? You mean to tell me that this team has fallen so far and ownership has changed so much that the apple has fallen that far from the tree?

Please. This smells of Steinbrenner.

Use any tactic possible.  Any means necessary.  Do it in a way in which you can deflect any heat.

It sounds like the Boss is alive and well.  Use a rogue announcer.  Deflect blame.  And while this is happening, you can hope to get in Lee’s head.  Or at least the umpire’s head.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Yankees know full well of what Lee is capable of.  Last year in the postseason against the Yankees, he threw a complete game, giving up only one unearned run.  He was 2-0 against the Yankees in the World Series.  Unfortunately, the Phillies couldn’t put Lee on the mound for every game and lost.

But there is no getting to this kid.  No accusation, no strike zone, there is nothing Lee can’t handle right now.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon remarked that the main reason why the Rays lost is because they faced some guy named “Sandy.”

Perhaps you’ve heard of him.  Sandy Koufax?

Sandy Koufax, career, postseason:
57 innings, 32 hits, 10 runs, 2 home runs, 11 walks, 61 strikeouts

Cliff Lee, career, postseason:
56.1 innings, 32 hits, 11 runs, 1 home run, 6 walks, 54 strikeouts

If anyone thinks Lee has been too incredible, you would be right.  Except there’s nothing you can do about it.

The Yankees’ best shot at Lee would be to follow a tried and true slogan that has worked in their family for years: If you can’t beat him, pay him.

If the Yankees have had problems sleeping because they’ve been dreaming of Lee in pinstripes, this will only add to the infatuation.  The Yankees pretty much gave a blank check to CC Sabathia.  Expect the same thing for the Lee.

The Yankees’ struggle to the finish is about to end.  As they fall off a Cliff named Lee, expect them to not try to climb that mountain again.

It’s much easier to try to move the mountain to New York.

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Even knowing the Texas Rangers had Cliff Lee on the mound, the New York Yankee fans arrived at the game ready for a win and made it loud and clear

That dream became a nightmare pretty fast, as Lee brought his A-plus game once again and the Rangers won 8-0.

So, instead fans left confused, discouraged and embarrassed. Below are the three dilemmas I had, after freezing my butt off in the Bronx:

1. Everyone was confused by Joe Girardi’s decision not to use Mariano Rivera for the last three outs. The hope was to hold the Rangers at two runs through the ninth. In turn, that would give the Yankee batters a chance at the bottom of the ninth inning to maybe get back in the mix.

What happened was embarrassing, as Texas scored six more runs mainly off sloppy fielding mistakes by New York. With Texas up 8-0, any hope of a comeback was just too far out of reach.

Up to this point, Girardi had used Mo in all five postseason games and one would think to go with the best you have to offer. Especially considering the Yankees are the comeback kids and Lee’s pitch count was already in the mid-120, which is why it made no sense. Maybe Girardi forgot this was a playoff game?

2. Why the game was so discouraging is that Andy Pettitte pitched solid as a rock after giving up a first inning home run to Josh Hamilton. Pettitte put the Yankees in the position to win posting five strikeouts and walking zero batters.

In order to win, teams have to score runs, and Pettitte got no insurance whatsoever. Pettitte deserved a win, but his performance was not overshadowed by the loss as every fan at the Stadium cheered for the southpaw big time.

3. Did the umpires loss the game for the Yankees? Well, there was definitely one questionable call that might have made the difference. Not taking away from the surreal performance by Lee because with 13 strikeouts and not a run scoring surely can stand on its own.

The call is now a confirmed a mistake made by first-base umpire Angel Hernandez in the bottom of the third inning. Umpire Hernandez called Brett Gardner out when the replay tells a different tale. Gardner hit a blooper and slid into first, which might have been more out of habit for Gardner who might have been safe on his feet too.

Regardless, he was clearly safe and not a whimper from Girardi at all. Pathetic for a manager not to get out there and defend his player.

There was one other call that again favored Texas, when Michael Young was a foot from the bag when Teixeira had already scooped the ball up.

This was not what Yankees fans came too see. Ultimately most fans knew that it was going to take a semi-miracle to beat Lee if his current pitching postseason trend stayed on target, but who knew it would be a bull’s-eye.

Yankees will send AJ Burnett to the mound Tuesday night, which is scary to think about considering how awful Burnett has been. Burnett has an opportunity to become a New York hero in Game 4, as we know he has the stuff to be lights-out, so let’s hope Burnett has found it.

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After last night’s performance, there is no way the Texas Rangers can let Cliff Lee walk as a free agent.

Even winning the World Series this season would not be worth it to the franchise if Lee walks, goes to a rival playoff team like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox or even their division rival Los Angeles Angels*.

*I mean why not the Angels? They could sign Lee, then move the Dan Haren contract if they want. Then they would have a rotation of Lee, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Joel Piniero and Scott Kazmir. I say they can move Haren because I do not believe anybody would take Kazmir, or Piniero. Both are free agents after this year anyway, so the Angels would save on those contracts in 2012.

I also think Lee would get a kick out of dominating a weak A.L. West many more seasons.

But the Angels probably can use a solid bat in the middle of the lineup rather than another arm.

But how would Texas feel if Lee signed with the Yankees, as is expected by almost everybody on the planet?

Terrible. Like the rest of baseball.

That would then make the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies the odds on favorites again next season to reach the World Series.

The Rangers need Lee to have the bonafide ace at the top of their rotation, and for him to keep working with C.J. Wilson, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison, three more lefties in Texas.

It is not just Lee who does well when he is there. The other young pitchers also improve. Imagine Lee with another full season working with Wilson and now Holland?

With the combination of their current roster—plus one of the top minor league systems—if Lee stays, Texas will be tough to beat over the next five plus seasons.

But, as I said, most people believe that the Yankees are going to sign Lee. After what Lee has done over the last two post-seasons, it is a head scratcher if a team like the Yankees do not sign him.

They have the big market, the bigger money (they have many, many monies!) and good friends in CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett already on the roster. I even wrote a piece some time ago singing the virtues of such a marriage.

Now I firmly believe it will not happen Yankee fans.

One, Texas will want him back very badly. With their ownership situation stabilized and a new T.V. contract signed, they also have many, many monies.

And Lee being from Arkansas appears to fit in nicely with the other southern boys in Texas.

But another reason why Lee will not be in pinstripes next season is that the Yankees can’t afford him on a seven year, $160 million Sabathia type contract. How many nine figure contracts can one team have? Even if they are the Yankees?

The Yankees have $145 million already tied up for next year, add $40 million more for Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and probably Andy Pettitte. Andy is not retiring, not after a game like he pitched last night. It is very tough to leave a game you played for so long, especially when the player is still performing at a high level.

And with the various arbitration cases of Phil Hughes, Joba and others, that is a lot of cash already spent. Plus Burnett’s contract is like an albatross around the Yankees luxury tax necks.

Adding another $20 million for seven more years of Lee pushes next years payroll to $205 million. Funny, but every time I saw Lee pumped his fist and smiling last night, I envisioned him counting higher and higher during winter negotiations.

And there could be lots of dead money for the Yankees next year, too.

What last night’s game solidified for me is that Alex Rodriguez can not play an adequate third base anymore.

He literally can not move to his left one foot to attempt to reach a ground ball in the hole. Several ground balls last night were not even hit that hard and got through there without Alex getting close.

Maybe that is one reason why Jeter seems to have limited range up the middle. He needs to compensate more to his right due to Alex’s limited range to his left. I did read this year that scouts have seen Jeter position himself in different spots this year, the first time all career he has done that.

Do not be surprised if Alex has more work done this off season on his surgically repaired right hip.

So if Alex has limited abilities in the field, he will need to be a DH sooner than expected, which limits his value for the money he receiving.

More somewhat dead money.

Too many older players on the roster already, more legendary Yankees to be signed this off season and too much dead weight money for Burnett and Rodriguez.

Doesn’t sound like it would be wise to add a 33-year-old pitcher to a $160 million contract guaranteed to age 40.

Brian Cashman is smarter than that and will try and work a trade for a younger, but still well established pitcher rather than try and sign Lee.

But rest assured, he will “remain in the bidding” to drive the price up for whoever lands Lee’s services.

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The New York Yankees crowd rose to their feet, cheering on their team. But what they were cheering was indicative of the start put together by a certain Texas Rangers unflappable left-handed pitcher. The ovation formulated when a Yankees hitter worked a three-ball count—nothing more. This is how dominant Cliff Lee—their nonchalant, modest, 31-year-old ace—was.

He entered this Game 3 start with a  6-0 record and a 1.44 ERA in his postseason career. When the Rangers lost Game 1 I immediately thought if Game 2 was won they would have an advantage entering Game 4.

Considering they proved victorious in the second game, the Yankees hopes of holding a series advantage were slim even though Lee was up against Andy Pettitte, the winningest pitcher in postseason history. Pettitte clearly isn’t chopped liver, but Game 3 was unquestionably Cliff Lee’s to lose.

He received immediate run support, as Michael Young slapped a one-out single then Josh Hamilton followed with one of the more effortless swings ever produce a home-run. The lefty power hitter waited on a 2-1 cutter, stuck his bat out to reach the outside pitch, and poked it into the left-field seats.

It was the weakest looking hack, but the testament to Hamilton’s strength silenced a hyped-up crowd and gave Lee some insurance before he took the hill.

Once he did, it became evident those two runs may have been all that was necessary to fuel a victory. He picked up right where he left off against the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting his spots and mixing his pitches as the second-coming of Greg Maddux. Maddux, a future Hall of Famer, pitched where the catcher’s glove was positioned routinely over 23 remarkable years.

Lee did the same on this night, painting the inside and outside corners with such precision. He was just having fun out there, playing catch with catcher Bengie Molina, and executing to perfection. He set up the Yankees with everything from a curveball to a changeup, keeping them off guard with masterful unpredictability.

Three no-hit innings were thrown to start. In the fourth he allowed a walk. A free pass to Mark Teixeira and the popular question was: what’s wrong with Cliff Lee?

It was a sarcastic question, of course, asked by many of whom I follow on Twitter, but there was something to it. How so? Lee just doesn’t walk people. He didn’t in his two starts against the Rays, spanning 16 innings. During the regular season he only walked 18 batters, including two intentional, in 212 1/3 innings.

As the New York Times’ Pat Borzi wrote in his article, “Mission Control: Lee Wins by Avoiding Walks:”

“No pitcher in the last 70 years has thrown so many innings and yet walked so few.” And, on top of that, he was only the third pitcher since 1900 to throw more than 200 innings and walk fewer than 20, joining Babe Adams of the 1920 Pittsburgh Pirates (262 innings, 18 walks), and Red Lucas of the 1933 Cincinnati Reds (219/18). Adams nor Lucas were strikeout pitchers. Lee is, and certainly was against New York.

He had already struck out seven before Teixeira’s walk, including the hitters ahead of the lefthanded first-baseman in that fourth inning. The cheer for that walk was as if a leadoff triple had been hit. Getting a runner on base was a win for New York, according to the crowd. But, nothing could be done to capitalize on the surprising occurrence out of Lee.

A lined shot off the bat of Alex Rodriguez was chased down by a deceptively quick Nelson Cruz in right. That was the only hard hit ball the Yankees had off Lee. Everything else put in play was either a weak pop-up, a lazy fly-ball, or a pathetic groundball.

And when balls weren’t put in play, those in a lineup I consider to be one of the more dangerous in baseball stared at called strikes or swung through changeups, equally well-placed fastballs, or junk intentionally tossed into the dirt. I haven’t seen the Yankees that befuddled in a long time, and it was all because of Lee.

If not for that homer by Hamilton, a pitchers duel for the ages would have been in the works. Pettitte, aside from the costly hiccup, was superb, firing seven brilliant frames in keeping the deficit the same as it was entering the bottom of the first. Lee was just a lot better.

He ran into a little trouble in the sixth, as Brett Gardner, who comically missed the first-base bag on a head-first slide earlier, singled to begin the inning and then stole second. But Lee worked around that, though it took a bit more effort than the previous five frames. He went on to pitch two more dominant innings, with the lead still 2-0.

Having allowed just two hits and the walk to Teixeira while striking out 13 Yankees, it appeared their ace would head out for the ninth despite throwing 119 pitches. There was a catch: he would do so only if the Rangers went down quickly in the top. That was not so, as they read a lot into the term “insurance-run.”

Insurance runs came across, as poor David Robertson came on to pitch after Boone Logan allowed a lead-off double to Hamilton and promptly served up batting practice. He proceeded to relinquish five hits. Four earned runs were attached to his name, then a fifth as Sergio Mitre uncorked a wild-pitch to let in the eighth Texas run. All the fans who remained in the stands were cheering on Texas.

With the once close game transformed into a rout, Lee’s night was done. Handshakes and hugs extended Lee’s way in the dugout, congratulating him on his latest masterpiece. A masterpiece that, whether admitted or not, had to come to the surprise of no one, even those baffled Yankees whose season now relies heavily on the mediocre right arm of A.J. Burnett.

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The Yankees came back home to open up their end of the ALCS and even with big-game Andy Pettitte on the mound, they couldn’t defeat Cliff Lee.

The Rangers, behind their ace, put up two early runs and rode Lee to victory. Lee was unhittable and didn’t even allow a hit until the fifth inning.

The Rangers’ offense exploded in the ninth for six additional runs as Texas took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Here’s a report card, breaking down every angle of the Rangers’ 8-0 win.

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It was unclear which starter would go in game three for the Yankees after the ace they courted in a trade earlier this year jilted them again with yet another magnificent playoff performance.

The worst shut out home loss in Yankee history came during a start for their left hander who is the most prolific winners in MLB playoff history: Andy Pettitte.

The opposing lefty laced them with cut fastballs and knuckle curves while taking a two-run lead into the top of the ninth.

His curve broke out of the strike zone and nibbled just off the plate all night.

The dieting-on-hits New Yorkers tried to snack on his cut fastball, but it was the Rangers’ lefty who ate their gosh darned snack.

Throwing several change ups for easy outs, it was very hard to diagnose his delivery, and his change up was dissecting the corners.

No reason for him to risk injury in the bottom of the ninth with the game in hand.

The Rangers scored six runs in the top of the inning.

Yankee Stadium all but emptied after the fourth run scored.  The bleeding finally stopped after the normally rock-steady New York bull pen had fully collapsed in the Bronx.

Dave Robertson who has dealt with back problems had trouble dealing his pitches, and he could not get any out. 

Neftali Feliz closed the ninth inning without a whimper from the Yankees, and the Rangers took the lead in the three game series.

In the fourth game tomorrow night, Tommy Hunter will start for Texas. He started the season on the disabled list and pitched well for the Rangers this season.

He won 13 games and lost only four and had a 3.73 ERA.

The Yankees batted .300 against him in one five-inning start this season.  He struck out eight, but left the game with no decision.

Speculation is that AJ Burnett will start, but he may end up riding the bench in favor of CC Sabathia who only pitched four innings in the first game of the series.

Burnett has struggled almost all year, and notably more so after the All-Star Break.  It was like he was a totally transformed pitcher than the one who helped win the 2009 World Series.

Texas slugged a team batting average of only .233 against Burnett this year.  He finished 10-15 with a 5.7 earned run average for the season.

Sabathia has had some outstanding playoff performances on three day’s rest.  He has a 2.40 earned run average in seven post season starts off three day’s rest.

He is accustomed to being the ace down the stretch carrying the team to glory.  He did it with Cleveland, Milwaukee, and with the Yankees.

During the press conference after the game, manager Joe Girardi looked confident in saying his team’s chances were good to bring home a playoff victory behind Burnett.

There is no hiding in baseball, and AJ is too big to stuff in a club house closet.  What difference does it make if he gets beat in the fourth game or in the fifth game?

Start him against the mighty Rangers.

Cliff Lee gave up two hits, and he had 13 strike outs and one walk in eight innings.

A total of 34 strike outs and one walk in three post season starts for Lee this year.

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It was only a couple weeks ago when many experts had the New York Yankees as a lock to make it to the World Series and defend their title. Unfortunately, for the Yankee faithful, no one told the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers have certainly not been intimidated by the Yankees bloated payroll and 27 World Series titles. They haven’t been phased by their previous nine losses in ten postseason games to the Yankees before this season. The 2010 Texas Rangers are not your daddy’s Texas Rangers.

Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers handed the Yankees their worst home loss in postseason history, and for the boys in pinstripes, that includes an incredible amount of games. Even with Andy Pettitte, the most prolific winner in postseason history, the Yankees couldn’t overcome the dominance of Lee.

After tonight’s victory, Cliff Lee became the most successful pitcher in postseason history in terms of earned run average. With an ERA of 1.26 and a 7-0 career postseason record, Lee has placed himself among the all-time greats in history.

After managing only two hits in nine innings and striking out an incredible 15 times, the Yankees are certainly lagging in confidence. In a game as fickle as baseball, mental composure can be nearly as important as physical ability. After three games, New York is certainly lacking in confidence.

With the exception of one strong inning in game one where the Yankees put up five runs in the eighth inning, the Rangers’ pitching staff has held the powerful New York lineup in check. After scoring six runs in their come from behind victory in game one, the Yankees have only scored two runs in games two and three. In fact, with the exception of that eighth inning of game one, the Yankees have managed only three runs in 26 innings.

Sure, the Yankees are only down 2-1 going into game four in New York, but how confident can they be with a struggling A.J. Burnett scheduled to be going to the mound against a formidable Texas lineup and the Yankees’ stagnant offense?

The Yankees’ best chance would lie with a shakeup in the scheduled rotation. Although C.C. Sabathia was less than stellar in his game one outing, he gives New York their best chance of victory. Also, that would leave him open for the possibility of a game seven start on short rest.

Game four will ultimately prove to be the most important game of the season for the 2010 New York Yankees. With a win, they can even the series at two games apiece. With a loss, the Rangers go up 3-1 forcing a minimum of seven games and the possible return of Cliff Lee.

When discussing the New York Yankees, it’s never too late to count them out. But if there’s any season where the odds are significantly against them, this is it.

It’s time for the Yankees to channel the spirit of George Steinbrenner. The Yankees have to go out and turn the momentum in a game four victory, or their season is all but finished.

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Times are tough in Cleveland, Ohio nowadays. The local economy, seemingly on the rebound everywhere else, continues to stagnate near the bottom of the national conscience. 

It is the middle of October, and the Indians are left at home watching playoff baseball for the third straight season. The Browns, with their third string rookie quarterback, lost to the Steelers, again—only by 18 points this time.  

Still, all of this pales in comparison to the Cleveland’s iconic son embarrassing the city on national TV before turning his back and joining his cohorts in Miami. 

The pulse of the city’s faithful may be at an all-time low, and that’s before baseball’s ultimate free spending team kicks a downtrodden organization, once again. 

C.C. Sabathia is the last homegrown superstar talent the Indians organization has drafted and developed. Fans patiently waited for him to blossom from a green 20-year-old to a legitimate frontline starting pitcher. 

Stardom has a price that a handful of teams can pay—including the Indians. Unfortunately, Sabathia pitched himself in another stratosphere—a place reserved for the elite money making machines.

Former GM Mark Shapiro, in a highly unpopular, but completely reasonable move, traded the big lefty to a contending team for a plethora of promising players. 

Enter. Cliff Lee.

Lee was obtained in another highly unpopular, yet, extraordinarily rewarding trade.  In hopes of accelerating the last rebuilding effort Shapiro traded Bartolo Colon, another former ace, for Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore. 

In another universe, perhaps, a more favorable place for underdogs and small market baseball teams, the pairing of Sabathia and Lee would have rewarded an organization bereft of a World Series title.

Welcome to Cleveland, the unforgiving cosmos.

During the magical, if unsustainable, playoff run in 2007 Lee looked less like a major league hurler and more like a smile on Albert Belle’s face. Something just didn’t seem right. The formerly consistent league average pitcher morphed into a present day version of Steve Blass. 

Lee struggled through injuries and ailments including a right abdominal strain and a bad case of gopheritis. He was eventually replaced by Fausto Carmona—another burgeoning ace—and left off the postseason roster all together. 

Then, by some magical touch Lee started pitching and he continued to pitch. Past stardom, past superstardom. Now he has settled somewhere in between Sabathia and Sandy Koufax. Somewhere past the allowable limits of Paul Dolan’s purse strings. 

Enter the New York Yankees. 

The New York Yankees threw gobs of money towards Sabathia, and he accepted without hesitation. This offseason following another year, including continued dominance in the postseason, the Yankees will pursue, and more likely than not, sign Lee. 

The combined contracts of both lefties will settle in $40-45 million range—approximately 70 percent of Cleveland’s 2010 payroll. 

Next season’s Yankees will once again challenge for a World Series title, only this time 40 percent of their rotation will consist of former Cy Young Award winning Indians—and 100 percent of the Cleveland fans’ lost hope.

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