Lefthanded compliment
 (AP Photos) |
Let me ask you this on a glorious morning after, Red Sox fans: Is there anyone else in franchise history you'd rather this happened to? I cannot think of another name.
A no-hitter is always special, of course - there have been just 256 in the game's long history, and Lester's was the first by a Red Sox southpaw since Mel Parnell's in 1956 - but this has added significance for reasons that have nothing to do with baseball.
As you surely are aware, Lester was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in August, 2006. His journey back to health, and eventually the big leagues, was not as easy as his success makes it appear. It was barely a year ago that he was beginning to pitch competitively again, and the mellow 24-year-old will admit in his more introspective moments that there was a time when he was so ravaged by chemotherapy that he could not pick up a baseball, let alone throw one past the likes of Jose Guillen.
One of the great ancillary joys of winning last autumn's World Series was watching Lester deliver the defining performance of his career in the clinching Game 4, just 10 months after completing his cancer treatments. It was the ultimate capper to his comeback, the most heartwarming scene in this feel-good movie. Now he owns two signature performances in his young career, and even the saccharine souls at Disney have to be wondering if this guy's for real.
He certainly was for real on the mound last night in the most overpowering performance of his 37-start career. Lester struck out nine and allowed just two Kansas City batters to reach base. He pounded the strike zone and trusted his stuff, starting out 20 of 29 hitters with a first-pitch strike in a 130-pitch effort.
His fastball had a little extra sizzle - he touched 96 in the adrenaline-fueled ninth and absolutely smoked Alberto Callaspo for the final out - and his curve and cutter were sharp. It was like watching Chuck Finley in his prime, with an occasional nod to Bruce Hurst, Andy Pettitte, and the young Steve Avery. It was a reminder of how highly regarded he was as a prospect just three years ago, when he was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year over guys named Papelbon, Verlander, and Liriano, and it's fair to say the front office's reluctance to include him a swap for the great Johan Santana is more justified than it has ever been.
The gleeful aftermath last night was almost as enjoyable as the game itself. The genuine affection Lester's teammates have for him was apparent - hell, it's not often that Josh Beckett becomes awestruck and sentimental. You don't often see a young player held in such high regard, but then, Lester's obviously not just any kid. Jason Varitek, who now has four no-hitters on his catching resume and might have another had Curt Schilling not shaken him off in Oakland last summer, played the role of big brother, a smile creasing that familiar stoic mug as he presented Lester the ball from the final out. Red Sox manager Terry Francona, a truly decent man, reminded you of a proud dad. Maybe you felt the same way.
"He's not just a good kid because he threw a no-hitter," said Francona, who admitted he and pitching coach John Farrell, perhaps Lester's biggest advocate in the organization, were getting teary-eyed as the ninth inning unfolded. "He's a good kid because he's a good kid."
It's impossible to exaggerate how meaningful this is. The Red Sox, to their eternal credit, are downright heroic in their contributions to the fight against cancer with their longstanding relationship with Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund. Every time Lester takes the mound from now until the final pitch his career, he will stand tall as a hero and an inspiration to those scared children getting treatment just a few blocks from Fenway. He could throw a half-dozen more no-hitters, and his status as a survivor would remain his greatest legacy.
On a much lesser scale, this is one of those occurrences that reaffirms your committment as a fan at a time when such dedication is often assailed and ridiculed. As one longtime correspondent put it in an email not long after Lester's final pitch last night:
For anyone out there who can't understand the emotion that we sports fans put into any given team's season, this is why we watch sports. Moments like this make it all worthwhile.
So true. It's funny, there was a time not so long ago - earlier this decade, actually - when fans from my generation wondered if we'd ever witness a Sox no-hitter. Now they own four of the last six in the AL, and all four came wrapped in a different package.
The first, in April 2001, came from Hideo Nomo, a journeyman making his Boston debut, and I'm still waiting for Don Orsillo to get excited about it. Converted reliever and incurable flake Derek Lowe delivered his masterpiece a little more than a year later, then wide-eyed rookie Clay Buchholz came through with perhaps the most dominating performance of all of them in his second big league start last September. And now, Mr. Lester. You'll note that none were by the pitchers of greatest repertoire or reputation, the Schillings, Becketts, and Martinezes.
Weird game, baseball. It's why we love it. You just never know when something magical will happen. Though when Jon Lester's on the mound, it seems the odds are better than with most.
Bryce Florie a close second.......
Florie was the first name I though of, actually. And I would have loved to have seen Pedro get one, though that's a whole different story.
"Now they own four of the last six in the majors, and all four came wrapped in a different package."
I think you mean four of the last six in the AL
I always lamented the fact that Roger Clemens never threw a no hitter. His legendary career seems incomplete to me without the no no.
Tek could actually have 6 or 7 no-no's on his resume now. Schilling last year, Pedro at tropicana field in 2000 (when Gerald Williams charged the mound) and i'm not sure if it was Varitek or Mirabelli who caught Wakefield at tropicana field in 2001 when he got into the 9th.
I did, Steve, thanks for the fix.
I'm sure Clemens will get his no-hitter in the White Collar Prison League.
And fortunately for all, Joe Posnanski was at the game. He's got a game story and a blog post.
Thinking about Lester during the 2007 WS made me wonder--was his game 4 performance your defining "moment" or "memory" from last year's playoff's? There were so many from 2004--all of Papi's walkoffs, the Steal, Damon's slam, the Bloody Sock, and others.
The big two that really come to mind from me for last year are Lester and the $14 Million Grand Slam (as Simmons coined it).
Just wondering if, looking back 5 years from now, the greatest memory from the 2007 Playoffs will be Lester's win.
Just read Posnanski's piece. It does not disappoint.
I'd say the defining moment is Drew's homer, because that's when everything seemed to turn and it was just so %(%(#$*$** improbable.
Jon Lester will be getting standing ovations at Fenway fifty years from now, as he should. Roger Clemens will never see the inside of Fenway again, as it should be. What a ridiculous post, lamenting the Texas Con Man's lack of a no-hitter. You have to be a lackey of his.
Chad,
You summed up the moment better than anybody else I've read this morning. It's a great read. (Far better than Shaughnessy's game-story-like disappointment today.)
Hopefully your longtime correspondent sent that note to a certain fan-hating columnist at the other Boston paper, too. It really is these sorts of moments that make sports such a special part of life.
Once again baseball proves that you have to watch; at any time, in any game, something incredible can happen. It was my misfortune to decide to switch to the hockey playoffs and miss Lester's perfomance. To the Baseball gods, thanks for the reminder.
small & nit-picky... there were 3 baserunners last night. BB and FC early on, then the BB in the 9th...
still a marvelous effort from a guy that definitely deserves it
Sky King,
My Clemens comment was made with tongue firmly planted in cheek. :-)
Congrats to Lester - what an amazing journey he's on.
I'd have to disagree with both Chad Finn and CD....I would put Beckett's stopping performance in the Cleveland Series Game 5 as the turning point of the 2007 Playoffs. Without that momentum swing and Ace-In-The-Hole Feeling that the entire staff got and subsequently rode on his back...there would have never been any Drew Slam or Lester Win in the WS. Undeniably I will remember Beckett's performance years from now and will always think that it was his 3 or 4 dominant wins during that playoff run that kept our hopes alive for a title. And of course...it still doesn't take anything away from Drew or Lester's amazing feats....just not the top in my opinion.
Here's to an amazing run in 2008 to the WS Title --
I'm glad this happened; I was worried the Sox and their fans wouldn't have something to act holier-than-thou about this season.
Only other player I can think of, but it really is a dead heat between him and Lester, is Tim Wakefield.
Well said, CF. Well said.
And to think we almost traded him once for Alex Rodriguez and another time for Johan Santana. I'm glad we didn't.
A nice postscript to the no-no was Eck's excitement - he was practically jumping out of his skin. Congratulations, Jon!
I enjoyed the re-capping of Lester's accomplishment so much that I watched four hours of ESPN this morning and arrived at work a bit later than planned. I decided to visit your site to get a nice Boston summary and what a great article, Chad. In your piece you help put baseball up where it belongs, celebrate a fine young man, and prove that the writer is still mightier than the commentator. Nice job all around.
Few events in sports bring tears to my eyes. The last was Phil Mickelson winning his first Masters. Until this morning (yes, like a ninny, I didn't watch the game last night) I heard on the radio going to work that Lester threw a no-no. And yes, blonde lady in the Subaru Outback, that's why I was wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. A beautiful moment for a beautiful sport!
Simmons had a great line re Drew's slam, something like a deadbeat dad showing up at his kid's high school graduation & giving him/her a Ferrari.
>> "I always lamented the fact that Roger Clemens never threw a no hitter. His legendary career seems incomplete to me without the no no."
Troll.
Anyway--CF, brilliant post. You captured it dead-on. Santana who?
Thank you for writing this article and reminding us that we still can find solace and comfort in sport;.That not all sport is specifically about selfish athletes, bad egos and dishonest behavior. Jon Lester reminds us all that sport still has the ability to seek out the highest common denominator; not the lowest.
Did Tek catch Pedro's 1-hit, 17 K masterpiece in Yankee Stadium in '99?
In December of 06, my brother, a lifelong Sox fan exiled to California, was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. A few months later, my sister threw a fundraiser for him. Somehow, one of her friends managed to get something from the Sox for the silent auction. It was a Jon Lester autographed ball.
In October, my brother died, at the age of 39. The day after his funeral, I sat in a hotel room in CA and watched Jon Lester win game 4 of the Series.
Last night, up in the stockroom of the store where I work, I listened to Jon Lester pitch a no-hitter. And I cried like a baby. Thanks, Jon.
A
I want to see Tim Wakefield pitch a perfect game. Go Timmy!
"i'm not sure if it was Varitek or Mirabelli who caught Wakefield at tropicana field in 2001 when he got into the 9th."
It was Scott Hatteberg in 2001, but good call on that game. That was a ton of fun to watch. Wake's stuff was dazzling that night.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA200106190.shtml
Baseball-reference has Tek behind the plate for Pedro's 1 hitter in NYC in 99.
A solo shot by Chili Davis the only hit by Yankees.
Did Tek catch Pedro's 1-hit, 17 K masterpiece in Yankee Stadium in '99?
Yes, he did.
And it was old Scotty Hatteberg who caught the Wakefield game.
I couldn't be happier for Lester. Besides the great story that is Lester's no hitter, the thing that made me happiest was watching Francona's pure joy for Lester. In a town where a manager could never seem to do anything right, It's so easy to see why , Francona has won the respect and support of players, management, media and fans.
Defining WS moment from '07? Papelbon picking off Matt Holliday. that's when you knew that the sox had prepared for the moment, and the rox had not....
Thanks for the great comments, gang. Made me glad I re-wrote this thing after my browser crashed this morning. (Blogspot used to save automatically; still haven't broken that habit.)
Frank, your story was wonderful and heartfelt. Thanks for sharing it here.
I'll never understand how anyone can possibly have a problem with Terry Francona. Great manager, better man. I dread the day he's no longer in that dugout.
I picked a bad night to not watch sports. I figured between Game 7 Sunday, Games 1 and Two Tuesday and Thursday and the Champions League Final on Wednesday, I would spend Monday night doing things with my wife. Bad call.
I don't know about Orsillo, but I sure was excited about Nomo's No No. I was at the game in Baltimore. I was unhappy with the opener b/c Pedro had lost, but Nomo sure made up for it!
Speaking of RedSox ALCS Grand Slams, my favorite home run in RedSox history was Johnny Damon's Grand Slam in Game 7 in Yankee Stadium in 2004 (in case you missed it) Several New York outlets are running "Best Homer in Yankee Stadium polls - I wonder how that one is doing?
You know what's crazy? My idiot kid brother goes to about 8-12 sox games a year, and he's been at the LAST THREE Red Sox No-Hitters. And yesterday was his birthday.
Luckiest sports fan on earth.
He was also at the 4 HR back to back game, and Manny's walk-off moon shot in the playoffs last year.
I can't even come within 3 sections of a foul ball, and this kid has been to three no-hitters. The odds have to be astronomical.
Lester deserves all the adulation. What a terrific guy. That moment when Tito was hugging him will stay with me for a long time.
Newsdork -
Can I have your brother's autograph? LOL
"That moment when Tito was hugging him will stay with me for a long time."
I had the same thought watching that scene unfold. The Jon Lester story continues to amaze me. My two younger children spent the better part of the past couple years saying a prayer every night for Jon Lester after his cancer diagnosis. As they're gotten older (7 &9), they're starting to understand a little bit just what Lester has accomplished.
It's been one hell of a ride this decade.
The defining moment of the postseason last year had to be Becketts Game 5 win in Cle. Watch that game again and you'll see how dominant he was that day.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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