BOSTON — There are only a few people on Earth that can understand what Philadelphia Phillies ace Cliff Lee has gone through the last month.
The left-handed Lee not only won the first game of all three series he started, but he staved off elimination when his team was down 3-1.
Lee has bordered on perfect, unhittable, dominant ... use any adjective you'd like.
At 4-0, with a 1.56 earned run average and average of nine strikeouts per game it doesn't get much better than that.
Right?
One person who knows exactly, and I mean exactly, what Lee went through the last month or so is Josh Beckett.
In the 2007 playoffs, Beckett won the opening game of all three series and, like Lee did on Monday night, saved the Red Sox from an early postseason exit.
Heck, he beat CC Sabathia head to head in Game 1 of the ALCS, while Lee turned the trick in the World Series opener last week.
Beckett, too, was in the zone.
In fact, his numbers from 2007 — 4-0, 1.20 ERA, 35 strikeouts and two walks — were even more dominating.
"When I was there (in the zone) I executed my fastball anywhere I wanted," said Beckett, who was recognized as the 2009 Champion Award recipient from Children's Hospital Boston at their annual Champions for Children's Dinner at the Seaport World Trade Center last night.
"Down and away to righties. Down and away to lefties ... It didn't matter," said Beckett. "Cliff Lee looks like he is on like that. He's working it in and out, both sides of the plate. All he's doing is focusing on one pitch at a time. It's a pretty good feeling (to have) for a month."
Beckett admits he misses that feeling, which is why he hasn't watched as much of the World Series as you might expect.
"Any time you lose in the playoffs it's so abrupt. All of sudden it's over," says Beckett. "You want to be out there ... I know it's 3-2 (in favor of the Yankees). I haven't watched that much."
In 2010, Beckett enters the final year of a three-year extension he signed, probably prematurely, during the 2007 season.
He turns 30 next May and while the 6-foot-5 Texas native seems to have fit in nicely in Greater Boston, including his community service, his future here is in limbo.
While he wouldn't talk about his contract status beyond 2010 on this particular night, he intimated the final decision is up to the Red Sox.
And considering the money paid to Sabathia last winter — seven years, $161 million — he no doubt won't be accepting the hometown discount.
"It's up to them," said Beckett. "They know how I feel about being here. This is a nice place to play."
E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.
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