Even thought he’s not a Red Sox anymore, this still makes me smile.
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Tag: jon lester
I really hope Lester will be back with the Sox next year.
See also [Alex Speier’s breakdown of Lester contractual possibilities](http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2014/11/19/devil-in-the-details-contract-possibilities-for-jon-lester-and-the-red-sox/).
This is just getting my hopes up.
If Lester is willing to take a reasonable offer this off-season[^fn1], I say the Red Sox sign him long term this winter.
[^fn1]: i.e. less than he would probably get on the open market.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to [Sox GM Ben Cherington]. But to obviously be back for another year is awesome,” said Lester. “Hopefully that’s not the only one and we can be here for a long time. We’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
I would be fine with the sox signing Lester to a 4-5 year extension.1
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Not for a huge salary, but something reasonable. ↩
This seems like a no-brainer after his playoff run. Of course, this does not prevent the Sox from extending him during the off season either.
> Lester limped off the field with two outs in the eighth, happy to yield to Uehara for the final four outs. He faced pain and pressure and kicked their ass like he did cancer seven years ago and, best of all, he sent Boston home for a Game 6 that will turn Fenway Park into a ceaseless ball of energy.
Brilliant.
Jeff Sullivan explains just how dominant Lester was last night. What a performance.
If you want to see how Lester was so dominating, take a view minutes to read this.
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Lester is the Story of Game 1
> Lester was lights out, dominating the Cardinals through 7 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and striking out eight without allowing a run. In his second career World Series start — the first one coming in 2007 — Lester managed to keep his ERA a pristine 0.00 in the fall classic. He pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in 2007’s Game 4, the series clincher.
Yes, the Cardinals made a bunch of defensive mistakes, but none of that really when matter with Lester pitching like he was.
Tim Britton sums it up nicely:
There were no late-inning grand slams, no ninth-inning walkoffs and hardly any drama at all.
There was no need on Saturday. Boston's 5-1 victory over the Yankees was ho-hum in every way, an unremarkable win on a season defined by how remarkable it has become.
It was a nice, relaxing game to watch.1
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Now that is something you do not say about a Sox v. Yankees game very often. ↩
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Jon Lester: ‘I don’t have an injury’
Hopefully, this little extra time off is what Lester needed to get his head right.
Was there really a question about this?
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Valentine Believes in Lester
> “I believe in him,” [Valentine] said. “I know nobody else in this room does, but I do. That’s a good start. Maybe if he’s sitting in here, it’ll be two of us by the time he leaves.”
I hope he’s right.
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Jon Lester sits down with Gordon Edes
> “You think I’m happy right now?” Lester said. “You think I like coming to the park with almost a 5 ERA (4.80) next to my name, with a 5-7 record? I mean, who would be happy?
> …
> “It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing for my wife to be sitting in the stands to hear that. I’m embarrassed for her. I’m embarrassed what she has to hear in the stands. It’s not fun.
> “That’s not what I want to do. I don’t want to show up at the park and go, ‘[Expletive], I’m going to give up seven runs in four innings and call it a day, then go home and count my money because that’s all that matters.”‘
The rest of the interview is just as strong. I have never thought the Sox should try to trade Lester, and this interview makes me feel even more confident in that position.