Jon Lester

 

 

Jon Lester is a hero.

 

            The left-handed pitcher made his start in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox in 2006.  Since then, he has recovered from cancer, won the final game of the World Series, and thrown a no-hitter.  He’s not the most stupendous pitcher, but his list of achievements on top of his cancer makes him a star.

            Jon Lester was born in Tacoma, Washington, where he was the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2000.  He was drafted by the Sox in the second round two years later.  Jon did well in the minor leagues, with an 11-6 record and league leading numbers in strike outs and earned run average.  Lester was sought after by many teams during his rise to the majors:  In ’04 the Texas Rangers demanded he be included in a potential trade for the then-Ranger Alex Rodriguez.  Two years ago the Marlins insisted he be included in a trade for now-Red Sox pitcher Josh Becket.  Other teams tugged at him, but the Sox would not let go.  His rookie year (’06) was nothing special.  After being called up in June, he went 7-2, a decent record, with a less-than-good 4.73 ERA.

            However, with August-September came a big shock to Jon Lester.  He was placed on the DL with a sore back, but later tests showed bad news: Lester had lymphoma.  He underwent treatment during the playoffs (which the Sox did not do well in) and the off-season, and by mid-’07 he was pitching rehab games in the minors.  He pitched a scattering of games during the regular season, finishing with a 4-0 record, impressive for a man coming back from cancer.  Although he didn’t really do much MLB work in the regular season, he did well in the playoffs.  Terry Francona made a noble move and in an important situation, gave Lester the start in Game 4 of the World Series against the Rockies.  The kid pulled through, going almost 6 shutout innings.  It shows a lot about Lester’s determination and strength that he could help win the World Series when the same time a year before he was receiving treatment for cancer.

            This season, Lester made big news again, but much better then announcing he has cancer: a couple weeks ago he threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals.  (It turns out Kansas City is actually in Missouri.  Go figure.)  The game actually didn’t start out looking like a potential no-hitter; the Royals players were making contact with Lester’s pitches.  Lester himself actually made an error in the second inning.  But he pulled through, and finished the 9 innings without letting up a hit.  Lester’s no-hitter was the 18^th thrown by Sox pitchers, and the first in the Majors since Clay Buchholz’s last year (see blog entry on Clay Buchholz).  It was catcher Jason Varitek’s record 4^th no-no caught.  But besides the numbers, the achievement itself is glorious: within two years of being diagnosed with lymphoma, Lester had won a World Series game and thrown a no-hitter, a combination of trophies that most veteran pitchers cannot claim.  If you ever need an inspirational story, look up Jon Lester.  

*This just in: It’s just been revealed that Jon Lester’s father has lymphoma!  Bummer for the Lester family.