"The best part of Cliff Lee's night came when he received a hug from his 10-year-old son Jaxon in the clubhouse after the game.

The second-best part was the victory he earned on the pitcher's mound. It was special for a couple of reasons. First, it had been a long time coming. And second, it came against the team he pitched for in the World Series last year, one of the teams he turned down in making his decision to sign a five-year, $120-million contract with the Phillies in December.

"It feels good to win," Lee said after pitching eight shutout innings in leading the Phillies to a 2-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night. "Any time you go deep into the game and don't give up a run, it's good."

Ryan Madson closed out the shutout with his ninth save in as many chances. Phillies pitchers lead the majors with nine shutouts. This one came against a club ranked fifth in batting average, third in runs and second in home runs in the American League. In other words, no slouch.

"I know the talent in that clubhouse," said Lee, who made 20 starts with the Rangers last season, including five in the postseason. "I know how good they can be. They put it to some pretty good pitchers last year in the playoffs. You've got to keep the ball out of the heart of the plate."

Lee received a break as the Rangers opted not to bring 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton and power-hitting outfielder Nelson Cruz off the disabled list for the series. Even with those two bats, the Rangers would have had a difficult time with Lee, who used his breaking ball more than usual.

"Those guys know I like to throw my fastball so I tried to use it less," Lee said."