Phils' Lee plays leading role on a big stage

After calmly steering the Phillies toward the World Series this month, new ace Cliff Lee celebrated with grateful teammates at Cole Hamels' home early yesterday morning. Demoted by the Cleveland Indians just two years ago, Lee has quickly become an essential member of the close group that plays in Philadelphia.

Athletes on championship-caliber teams see their reputations defined by performances in the fast and intense rounds of postseason play. With Hamels struggling this year after a breakout autumn in 2008, Lee has stabilized the team and is burnishing a legacy.

The 31-year-old lefthander sailed through the division series and the National League Championship Series. He allowed two runs in 161/3 innings against Colorado, and threw eight scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers. In three starts, Lee has posted a 0.74 earned-run average.

The World Series, which could be staged against baseball's highest-profile team, the New York Yankees, will determine the lasting theme of Lee's month. But so far, he has succeeded because of a deep-seated confidence and an ability to harness the increased adrenaline that arrives in heightened moments.

"It's a bigger game in the postseason," Lee said yesterday afternoon, after appearing at an event to benefit cancer research at Modell's Sporting Goods in Center City. "There's a different feel to it. That's when you've really got to focus. Every pitch is meaningful, every at-bat. Every play is magnified in the playoffs, so you've got to have all your focus, and make sure you do everything you can to prepare. It's the biggest stage, so that's what it's all about."

Lee made clear that any pressure he felt was internal. "I expect to be successful, whether it's the regular season or postseason or anytime," he said. "I put high standards on myself."

Those standards did not always lead to success. After Lee was injured in spring training of 2007 and pitched ineffectively when he returned, the Indians demoted him to the minor leagues. Cleveland advanced to the American League Championship Series that year, but Lee was excluded from the roster.

He won the AL Cy Young Award the following year, and came to Philadelphia this year in a July 29 trade. From his team debut, a complete-game win in San Francisco two nights later, to his recent playoff performances, Lee has shown an ability to succeed under scrutiny.

"There's going to be hoopla, and people thinking this and that," he said. "But for me, I put higher pressure on myself than anyone puts on me. It's not that much pressure, because I have confidence."

He also has perspective, hard-earned from dealing with his infant son's serious illness. Four months after Jaxon Lee was born in 2001, Cliff and his wife, Kristen, learned of a harrowing diagnosis: Their first child had leukemia.

Their fear ultimately turned to relief - "He's totally fine now, no issues," Lee said of Jaxon, now 8 - but it left a deep impression. The family, which came to include daughter Maci in 2003, has been involved in cancer-related charities ever since.

With his wife and children home in Benton, Ark., yesterday, Lee visited Modell's to build awareness in his new city. He is working with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to promote Light the Night Walk. The fund-raising event takes place tomorrow, with registration at 4:30 p.m. at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in South Philadelphia.

"I have tried to raise money and educate people on what's going on, and help people understand that there are a lot of people dealing with it and trying to raise money to help find cures," Lee said. "Every chance I get, I try to take advantage."

Jaxon and Maci are in school, so they watched their father's NLCS triumph on television in Benton. But they will travel north for the World Series next week. Lee will likely be the Phils' Game 1 starter Wednesday night, a moment he sees as the goal point of any player's career.

"That's what you play for," he said, "a chance to pitch in the World Series, and it's here."

Last night's Game 5 ended too late for this edition. For coverage, go to http://go.philly.com/sportsEndText