Why Cliff Lee Nearly Showed Up Late to Game 1 of the World Series
Cliff Lee dominated the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series in 2009. The calm, composed lefty gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 1-0 series lead.
A nasty drop on his breaking pitches helped him strike out Alex Rodriguez three times and outduel CC Sabathia. Lee pitched a complete game and surrendered only one unearned run in the 6-1 victory.
Phillies fans will never forget his nonchalant demeanor catching a lazy pop-up in the sixth inning and the swagger of a behind-the-back stop on a sharp grounder in the eighth.
However, the performance very nearly didn’t happen.
Why not? A traffic jam.
Cliff Lee Hits World Series Traffic
Frank Coppenbarger spent decades with the Phillies as the Director of Team Travel & Clubhouse Services. The MLB lifer stumbled onto a serious problem before the Fall Classic.
The organization was riding high in October 2009 as the defending World Series champions and the repeat winners of the National League pennant.
Cliff Lee entered the World Series on significant rest in arguably the best rhythm of his MLB career. However, a starting pitcher only impacts a game if he shows up on time.
“He nearly missed the game,” Coppenbarger told 97.5 The Fanatic.
“It’s not uncommon for a pitcher to come late to the ballpark on the days they start, but honestly, they don’t do that in the postseason. But Cliff did, and he underestimated rush hour traffic in New York City. He called me. I think it was probably about 6:15 (pm), and I believe the game probably started around 8:15 (pm). He was on 80th Street stuck in a taxicab not moving.”
An Unlikely Solution
The Phillies were two hours away from playing on baseball’s biggest stage. The hopes of the most intense fan base in professional sports hung on their shoulders.
Was it going to fall apart because somebody got stuck in traffic?
“I suggested he find a police officer and tell him who he was and that they would undoubtedly run him out there in a police car. Well, he tried for a few minutes and then lost patience with that, and he ended up getting on the subway with all the fans. I don’t think anybody knew who he was, nor would they expect him to be there either.”
Yankees fans more familiar with New York traffic patterns elected to take the subway to the Bronx. They unknowingly rode beside the opposing pitcher.
The best place to hide from a hostile home crowd is in plain sight, but was Cliff Lee going to make it in time? How was the Phillies manager going to take the news if he needed to scratch his starting pitcher?
“He asked me to tell Charlie Manuel that he might not be there (and) we’d better get somebody else ready to pitch. You couldn’t pay me enough money to do that, so I went and found Rich Dubee, the pitching coach, and broke the news to him. But neither one of us had to tell Charlie. He (Lee) finally got there, and all was well.”
Imagine how history would’ve unfolded different if this near-miss hadn’t worked out in Lee’s favor. Imagine if a few Yankees fans trusted their gut instead of accepting, “No, it couldn’t possibly be Cliff Lee” when they saw him.
Missing Game 1 of the World Series because of a traffic jam might’ve become the biggest blunder in Philadelphia sports history.
If you have somewhere to be in New York City, make sure you leave yourself plenty of extra time.
