Dominant Lee breaks 20-win mark

Shutout makes lefty first Tribe hurler to milestone since '74

CLEVELAND -- On Sept. 1, 2007, Cliff Lee was one of the players the Indians called up from Triple-A Buffalo when the team expanded its roster.

The left-hander had struggled for most of the season, spent the month of August in the Minors and finished with a 5-8 record and a 6.29 ERA.



Exactly one year to the date of his callup, Lee pitched himself into the Indians' record books. He went the distance Monday in a 5-0 win over Chicago, becoming the first Indians pitcher in 34 years to win 20 games in a season.



Gaylord Perry was the last Tribe pitcher to win 20 games when he went 21-13 in 1974.
"It has a nice ring to it," said Lee, the front-runner for the American League's Cy Young Award. "I like the sound of it."



Lee's only problems came in the first and ninth, when the first two White Sox hitters reached base in each frame. Lee worked out of trouble both times thanks to inning-ending double plays.



In between his problem innings, Lee retired 21 straight batters, starting when Jermaine Dye lined into a double play to end the first and ending when Paul Konerko singled with one out in the eighth.



Lee, who held the Sox to five hits and struck out four, was given standing ovations throughout the night. The first came when he walked to the bullpen to warm up about 25 minutes before game time. The ovations continued before and after every inning.



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