The National League Championship Series continued Sunday night as the venue for the series switched from the bright, sunny playing field of Dodger Stadium to the more brisk, cool temperatures of Citizens Bank ballpark in Philadelphia.

Today I continue my “Stars” column, which I plan on contributing to throughout the entire MLB playoffs as often as I possibly can.

In my last article related to this column, I listed New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez as my star of the day.

Today I have made a new selection.

Keep in mind this is my personal opinion only.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies Game 3 (Series Tied 1-1)

Cliff Lee

For the second article in row in regards to this column I have handed out my star honour to an individual who had already obtained it.

Firstly, it was Alex Rodriguez garnering the honour yesterday for the second time.

In today’s article Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee became the second.

Last night’s game between the Dodgers and Phillies was an absolute thrashing, as the Phillies manhandled the Dodgers in an 11-0 win to claim game three of the championship series.

The Dodgers got off on the wrong foot immediately, as Dodgers starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda allowed six earned runs over just an inning and a third as the Phillies used big games from Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz to destroy the spirits of the Dodgers early.

Hiroki Kuroda was miserable last night for the Dodgers.

Another key factor in Sunday night’s massacre was the spectacular performance of Cliff Lee on the mound for the Phillies.

With the Phillies tabbing six runs over the first two innings for their starter, Lee could have easily pitched a mediocre game, knowing he had runs to work with.

Instead, Lee attacked the strike zone with numerous first pitch strikes to get ahead of hitters, following those up with nasty stuff to sit down Dodger hitters on numerous occasions.

Lee pitched eight strong innings, allowing zero earned runs on three hits, walking none and striking out ten.

Cliff Lee was outstanding yet again in the postseason.

The former Cy Young Award winner is proving valuable to the Phillies, not allowing a single run throughout the 2009 postseason thus far.

Lee, like Cole Hamels of last season, is showcasing a strong candidacy for Most Valuable Player honours as his team looks to reach the World Series for the second consecutive year, hoping to regain their World Series crown.

The pitching performance of Lee overshadowed the Phillies dominant offense in this game in my opinion and without Lee the game could have easily been a back and forth run fest.

This is why Cliff Lee was my star of the game for last night.

The National League Championship Series continues tonight at 8:07pm EST in Philadelphia. The Dodgers will send veteran Randy Wolf to the mound to pitch against the Phillies Joe Blanton.

The American League Championship Series will also take place today in Anaheim at Angels Stadium beginning at 4:13pm EST.

Veteran Andy Pettitte will take the mound for the Yankees to battle Jered Weaver for the Angels, with the Yankees leading the series 2-0.