CLEVELAND — Comebacks don’t come any bigger than this.
Thanks to season on the brink in which he was demoted to the minors in 2007, Cliff Lee wasn’t even guaranteed a spot in the Indians’ rotation when spring training opened in ’08.
On Thursday, he was named the American League’s best pitcher.
Receiving 24 of a possible 28 first-place votes, Lee, a 30-year-old left-hander who went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA, was chosen as the AL Cy Young Award winner.
He becomes the second straight Cleveland pitcher to win the coveted award after CC Sabathia won it in 2007 then was traded to Milwaukee during last season. It is the fifth time in major league history that two different pitchers from the same team have won the award in consecutive years, the first since Roger Clemens and Pat Hentgen did it for Toronto from 1997-98.
“Every pitcher should strive to win a Cy Young,” Lee said. “That says a lot. They only hand one out per league. For me to get one is definitely an honor and a privilege and something I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life. There’s really no way to describe how I feel.”
Lee, the Indians’ first 20-game winner since Gaylord Perry in 1974, tied for the major league-lead in wins and led the AL in ERA, posting the third-highest winning percentage (.880) for a 20-game winner in major league history. Perry (1972) is the only other Cleveland pitcher to win the Cy Young.
Those accomplishments clearly put Lee at the front of the list of AL Cy Young candidates, which included Roy Halladay (Blue Jays), Daisuke Matsuzaka (Red Sox), Mike Mussina (Yankees) and closer Francisco Rodriguez (Angels). Halladay, who went 20-11 (2.78 ERA) — leading the majors with nine complete games — got the remaining four first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Lee was considered close to a lock to win the award, but the voting was expected to be tighter, causing some anxiety for Indians fans.
Not for Lee.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been nervous,” he said. “I’m pretty laidback. It’s definitely something I was kind of anticipating (winning).”
Lee’s spectacular season came on the heels of one that saw the staple of the Cleveland starting staff lose his spot in the rotation and get sent to the minors, finishing with a 5-8 record and 6.29 ERA and off the Indians’ postseason roster. It made him an obvious choice for Comeback Player of the Year.
Included among the achievements in a remarkable rally for Lee was a starting assignment in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
“Going from ’07 to ’08, it’s totally gratifying to know that I went from the season I had to turn it all around,” Lee said. “It feels good. I never doubted myself, I know that much.
“Sometimes it takes someone to fall on their face to figure things out.”
“I don’t think anyone could have seen a season like this coming,” Indians pitching coach Carl Willis said.
After winning the fifth spot in the rotation over fellow lefties Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers in spring training, Lee hit the ground running full-speed.
He won his first six decisions and entered the All-Star break with a 12-2 record and 2.31 ERA in 18 starts. From July 11 to Sept. 12, Lee, who went 10-0 at home, won 11 straight decisions. He won 22 of his first 24 decisions to become the fourth big league pitcher to accomplish the feat.
Each of Lee’s starts seemed to mirror the previous one — a dominant effort that almost always ended with a victory.
“Obviously, it was a remarkable season,” said Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro. “His approach to each game was consistent. His focus to each game was consistent. Nothing derailed his execution.
“The end result was a very unique, very special season.”
Lee earns a $250,000 bonus for winning the Cy Young, with his option for the 2010 season increasing from $8 million to $9 million. He made $3.75 million in 2008, the Indians clearly getting their money’s worth.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

Sizemore adds Silver Slugger to Gold Glove

CLEVELAND — Grady Sizemore has some silver to go with his gold.
Cleveland’s center fielder recently won his second straight Gold Glove Award, and Thursday earned his first Silver Slugger in voting by AL coaches and managers.
Sizemore is the first Indians player to win the award — given to the top offensive player at each position — since Juan Gonzalez in 1991. At 26, Sizemore is the youngest Cleveland player to win since Jim Thome in 1996.
Sizemore hit a career-high 33 homers and had 38 steals this season, joining Joe Carter as the only Cleveland players in the 30-30 club. He became the first player to lead the Indians in hits four straight seasons since “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (1911-14).
Sizemore is also the only player in Cleveland’s 108-year history to record 30 doubles, 30 homers and 30 steals in one season.

— The Associated Press

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