Lee established himself as the Phillies' go-to starter with two outstanding performances in the division series against Colorado.
Lee also showed he could be weatherproof when he pitched effectively in the clinching win in frigid Denver, which could be significant because the forecast for tonight is temperatures in the low 40s with a steady rain. He seemed oblivious to the bone-chilling conditions while pitching 71/3 innings and allowing one earned run in the 5-4 victory, in which he was not involved in the decision.
Lee believes that raw weather works in a pitcher's favor, and Torre concurs.
"You're steadily moving around and your heart rate is up," said Lee, who has a 1.10 earned run average and 10 strikeouts over 161/3 innings in his two postseason starts. "The position players, the guys behind me and the guys having to swing the bats, are more worried about the cold than I am.
"Sometimes, maybe the ball feels a little slick, so you've got to be conscious of that. But, you know, that's why you blow on the hand, lick the fingers, hit the rosin bag - things like that - to keep some feel in your hands."
Again, Torre reached back into his rich baseball past to illustrate his belief that cold conditions favored pitchers.
"Bob Gibson pitching in San Francisco, we used to watch it and enjoy it, especially when you're on his side, because no one wanted to hit against him," he said. "I don't know of any hitter who enjoys hitting in cold weather."
