became part of the "Four Aces" starting rotation alongside Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. Although he received two more All-Star selections, the remainder of Lee's time in Philadelphia was marked by poor run support, and he did not reach the postseason again after 2011. In 2014, Lee suffered a torn common flexor tendon in his pitching arm, and despite hopes that he would recover without surgery, he did not pitch again. Lee's professional baseball tenure was marked by his strong pitch command despite a comparatively low velocity, as well as by his composure in high-stress situations, the latter albeit complicated by his sometimes quick temper. Early life and college career Clifton Phifer Lee was born on August 30, 1978, in Benton, Arkansas, to Steve and Sharon Lee. His father was a local firefighter and one-time city council member. He was named Clifton after his maternal grandfather, while Phifer was his mother's maiden name. Both of his parents were high school athletes: Steve was a wide receiver for the American football team at Benton High School, while Sharon, despite missing one hand from a birth defect, was a pitcher for a local softball team. Although he also played football and basketball, Lee's primary focus in high school was on baseball, where his former coach described him as a hard thrower who had trouble with his pitch command. College baseball coach Norm DeBriyn referred to Lee as a "can't-miss guy" upon seeing him pitch in high school, describing him as "a big left-hander that threw hard". He was able to increase his strikeouts and decrease his walk ratio over the course of his high school career, and pitched two no-hitters as a senior. That year, Lee attracting attention from professional baseball scouts for his fastball, even after a shoulder injury forced him off of the pitcher's mound and into the outfield. He was selected out of high school by the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the eighth round of the 1997 MLB Draft, but failed to reach contract terms with the team and instead played college baseball for Meridian Community College. Originally, he had committed to play for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, but reneged when he learned that NCAA Division I baseball players were ineligible for the MLB draft until their junior year. Following his freshman season in Meridian, Lee was drafted again, this time