Tonight's Badass ALCS Pitching Matchup

Lovers of pitching are in for yet another treat this evening with a ridiculous matchup of lefties: Texas Rangers ace Cliff Lee will get the ball against postseason workhorse Andy Pettitte for Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. Bad. Ass.

With the best-of-seven ALCS evened up at a game a-piece, the two hurlers will likely be the stars of another sure-to-be pitchers duel. What happens when two seemingly-unbeatable guys meet on the mound? Well, someone has to win and someone has to lose. That's just how baseball works.

It's likely going to come down to solo shots or errors in the field. No one's getting shelled tonight, ladies and gentlemen. At least, that's what's advertised.

Lee is an incredible 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA and three complete games in seven postseason starts over the last two years, which is pretty awesome.

Meanwhile, Pettitte will go for his 20th postseason victory and attempt to add to his 5-0 record and 2.88 ERA accumulated over his last nine playoff starts. Sitting at a career 19-9 with a respectable 3.87 ERA in the postseason, he owns the big league records for wins, starts (41) and innings (256) in October.

Scary stuff.

However, Clifton Lee is not that easily-impressed:

They’re basically an All-Star team. From top to bottom, they have threats everywhere. I’m not going to get intimidated.

Lee also had a sense of humor regarding New York sports talk radio-based rumors about him doctoring the baseball during the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays:

It definitely makes me way better. I know that much. Without that hat, I don’t know if I could do it. I go to the rosin bag quite a bit. I touch my hat in the same place over and over. And it just accumulates. I couldn’t pitch without it for sure.

Anyways, what Monday Night Football game?

[ESPN]