Cleveland’s Cliff Lee shoots for win No. 20 on Labor Day, looking to become the Tribe’s first 20-game winner since Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry was 21-13 for the 1974 club. Lee would be just the sixth Indians pitcher to win 20 games in a season since the expansion era began in 1961.

That’s not the only distinction for Lee, who has gone 19-2 for a team that is two games under .500 at 65-67. His success on a mediocre team stirs memories of another Hall of Famer, Steve Carlton, who in 1972 went 27-10 for the 59-97 Phillies. Lefty claimed 45.8 percent of the lowly Phils’ 59 wins.

The other lefty, Lee, has secured 29.2 percent of his team’s win total. Carlton ranks first and Lee is 12th for the largest percentage of his team’s wins in a season since 1969.

Over the last 30 years, only four pitchers have posted a higher percentage of wins than Lee. Randy Johnson is the only hurler with a higher mark in the last 10 seasons.

Highest Percentage of Team’s Wins in a Season, 1978-2007

Pitcher. . . . . . . . . . . Team. . . . . . . .W. . . . .Tm. . . . . . . . Pct
Phil Niekro . . . . . . . .1979 Atl. . . . . . .21. . . . .66. . . . . . . . . 31.8
Randy Johnson. . . . . .2004 Ari. . . . . . 16. . . . . 51. . . . . . . . .31.4
David Stieb. . . . . . . . 1981 Tor. . . . . . 11. . . . .37. . . . . . . . . 29.7
Brad Radke. . . . . . . . 1997 Min. . . . . .20. . . . .68. . . . . . . . . 29.4
Cliff Lee. . . . . . . . . .2008 Cle. . . . . .19. . . . .65. . . . . . . . .29.2

Lee, who turns 30 on Saturday, is the only American League pitcher who’s all but certain to win 20 games in 2008. He hasn’t lost since the All-Star break. Lee’s last loss came on July 6, and he’s currently on an 8-0 roll with a 2.43 ERA in this stretch of nine starts. He’s the only big league hurler with five wins this month, and Lee hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his five August outings.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander is flirting with another distinction in his breakout season. His home state, Arkansas, has produced the likes of Dizzy and Paul Dean, Johnny Sain, Lon Warneke and Preacher Roe, but only three times since the end of the dead-ball era has an Arkansas native posted a lower ERA than Lee’s American League-leading 2.43 mark.

Lowest Single-Season ERA by an Arkansas Native, Since 1920

Pitcher. . . . . . . . . . .Team. . . . . . . . . . .Record. . . . . . . . . . . ERA
Lon Warneke. . . . . . .1933 ChC. . . . . . . . .18-13. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.00
Johnny Sain. . . . . . . 1946 Bos-N. . . . . . . .20-14. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.21
Lon Warneke. . . . . . .1932 ChC. . . . . . . . .22-6. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.37
Cliff Lee. . . . . . . . . .2008 Cle. . . . . . . . 19-2. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.43
Gene Bearden. . . . . .1948 Cle. . . . . . . . . 20-7. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.43
Johnny Sain. . . . . . . 1948 Bos-N. . . . . . . .24-5. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.60