A Look At Cliff Lee's Pregame Routine (Videos)
Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cliff Lee is without question one of the best pitchers in baseball. The 2008 Cy Young Award winner's ability to locate pitches (particularly his wide array of fastballs) and change speeds (throws an excellent circle change) has made him one of the most respected hurlers in the game.
Lee, who signed a five-year/$120 million deal with the Phillies prior to the 2011 season, has had a downright weird 2012 campaign. The former Indian, Mariner and Ranger is 1-6, despite posting an ERA of 3.95 and accumulating a 4.87 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
While many baseball fans are fully aware of the way in which Lee carries himself on the mound during a game, far less have had a chance to see how the Arkansas native gets himself ready to go, just prior to when the red light appears on the TV cameras.
Per the below iFolloSports.com original video, take a look at the way in which Lee got himself prepared, just ahead of last week's hard luck no decision start versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the first clip, Lee is seen running back and forth, loosening up his body with a series of agility movements.
The second clip shows the three-time All-Star stretching out his muscles in an array of more stationary positions.
The third shot shows Lee first playing a game of catch with Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, with Ruiz then assuming the crouch position, so Lee can throw a slower version of his pitches to him.
In a comical twist to this portion of the routine, check out Lee overthrowing Ruiz at the 19-second mark.
The ball would take one hop into the Dodger Stadium stands. After a fan tossed the ball back to the Philly backstop, Ruiz signaled the bullpen to throw him an extra baseball. The man known as “Chooch” would later reward the fan with that very souvenir ball.
After the completion of this activity, the pitcher and catcher head into the bullpen for the final warm-up, in the last few minutes prior to when the Phils and Dodgers took the field in LA.
