#TBT: Lester's no-hitter a lasting memory

This browser does not support the video element.

Let's start with this piece of full disclosure. As I got out of my car in a parking lot across the street from Fenway Park during the mid-afternoon of May 19, 2008, there was little reason to be excited about the fact that Jon Lester was starting that night's game against the Kansas City Royals.
To that point in his career, Lester was the epitome of a prospect trying to find his way -- albeit one who had courageously battled back from cancer less than two years earlier.
Though Lester would always keep the Red Sox in games those first couple of years with his plus stuff and competitive fire, there were quite a few nights where he would labor through five or so innings in the 100-pitch range. He was still learning how to command his fastball, and Lester admitted as much.
On the walk to the media gate, I recall remarking to my good friend Rob Bradford -- then with the Boston Herald and now with WEEI.com -- something along the lines of, "This should be exciting. Lester is pitching tonight."
Nine innings and 130 pitches later, it was a statement you'd like to have back. But there probably weren't many people who thought they were going to see a no-hitter by Boston's 24-year-old southpaw as they walked into the gates of Fenway on May 19, 2008.
In 36 career starts entering that night, Lester had an impressive 13-4 record, but the more telling numbers at the time were a 4.48 ERA and a .273 opponents' batting average. He had allowed 207 hits over his first 201 1/3 innings.
But this would be the night everything changed for Lester -- and a night that showed why you shouldn't lose patience with a young and talented pitcher.
There is just no telling when it is all going to click. For Lester, this was the night he threw the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history (nobody has thrown one since for Boston) and also the turning point in his career.
Over his past 256 starts beginning with that no-no, Lester is 118-77 with a 3.39 ERA, holding opponents to a .243 average. In 2013, he had a postseason for the ages, allowing just six runs in five postseason starts and leading the Red Sox to a World Series championship.
Lester is currently off to a brilliant start in his second season with the Cubs, and in his most recent start, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Pirates.

This browser does not support the video element.

No matter what happens for the rest of Lester's career, the no-hitter against the Royals will always be a signature night with a flood of memories for everyone who was at Fenway.
By the late innings, it was a thrill to be in my usual post in the front row of the press box. I wasn't so fortunate on Sept. 1, 2007. As Clay Buchholz did the unfathomable of throwing a no-hitter at Fenway in just his second Major League start, I happened to be off that night after returning home from a long road trip.
The thrill of a no-hitter never gets old to a fan, a player, a sportswriter or anyone who gets to witness one. Of the near 2,000 Red Sox games I've covered (including postseason) since 2002, I've seen just two no-hitters: Lester's, and Derek Lowe's on April 27, 2002, against Tampa Bay.
Looking back on that night, it's amazing how one little thing could change the course of history. To start the game, David DeJesus hit a fly ball to left that Manny Ramirez flagged down at the track. It was an ordinary catch, but if it was just a few degrees warmer (first-pitch temperature was 57 degrees) or if the 17-mph wind was blowing out to left field instead of right, the ball likely would have scraped the Green Monster.
In the third inning, Tony Pena hit a chopper that shortstop Julio Lugo -- an inconsistent fielder during his time with Boston -- played perfectly and threw to first for the out. If he hadn't handled the play cleanly, it likely would have been ruled a hit and not an error.
The fourth inning was when most people actually became aware that a no-hitter was in progress. The night had been fairly subtle up until then. But the energy in the ballpark changed when Jose Guillen hit a liner in the gap in right-center and Jacoby Ellsbury made a tremendous diving stab to end the inning.
From there, Lester did the rest. Walks to Billy Butler in the second and Esteban German to lead off the ninth were all that separated Lester from perfection.
Fenway Park was at a maximum decibel level in the ninth, and the place erupted when Alberto Callaspo struck out on high heat to end the game.
Lester embraced Jason Varitek, who was later joined by the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz as the only two catchers in history to serve as a batterymate in four no-hitters.
But the most indelible moment was the warm hug Lester shared with manager Terry Francona. Though Lester has a great relationship with his father, John, Francona had become his baseball father.
The relationship between the manager and pitcher went to another level when Lester was diagnosed with cancer. Francona always managed to say the right thing to Lester, either by phone call or text. And after the no-hitter, the emotion took over for both men. Francona shed some tears during his exchange with Lester.
One other memory of that night: After the game, Lester was asked by a reporter how he planned on celebrating his big night, and one might have assumed the answer would have involved a fancy nightclub or restaurant.
Lester said he was just going to go home and hang out with his then-fiancee and current wife, Farrah. That was so very Lester.
As for me, I never lacked anticipation for any Lester start thereafter.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com