Jonathan Tyler Lester...Is married to wife, Farrah...They have three children, Hudson, Walker and Cy Elizabeth...Graduated from Bellarmine High School in Tacoma, WA where he was a three-time MVP and three-time All-Area selection...Was named Gatorade State Player of the Year for Washington in 2000...Launched the NVRQT cancer research fundraising campaign with the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation in May 2012..Is short for ¡®never quit,¡¯ the rally cry NVRQT is the voice to support kids in their battle against pediatric cancer and the researchers working endlessly to find a cure....Three-time World Series Champion and five-time All-Star signed a one-year contract with Washington at the end of January 2021...Joined the Nationals after six seasons with the Chicago Cubs in which he went 77-44 with a 3.64 ERA in 171 starts...He won double-digit games and made at least 31 regular season starts in five of the six seasons (2015-19)¡A veteran of 26 Postseason games (22 starts)¡9-7 with a 2.51 ERA in the Postseason...His nine wins rank third among active pitchers, while his 2.51 ERA ranks seventh...Was named the 2016 National League Championship Series MVP after posting a 1.38 ERA (2 ER/13.0 IP) in two starts...He is 4-1 with 1.77 ERA (7 ER/35.2 IP) in six games (five starts) in the World Series (2007, 2013, 2016)¡Since the start of the 2016 season, has 55 starts of at least 6.0 innings and one or fewer runs allowed, the third-most in Major League Baseball during that span behind only Jacob deGrom (60) and Justin Verlander (58)...From 2008 ¨C his first full season in the Major Leagues ¨C to 2019, Lester was the only pitcher start at least 30 games in each of the 12 seasons... Was Chicago¡¯s nominee for the 2018 and 2019 Roberto Clemente Award...Received the 2007 Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming adversity...Won the 2008 Hutch Award from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, an award given annually to a player who best exemplifies ¡°Hutch¡¯s¡± fighting spirit and competitive desire.
2020
Went 3-3 with a 5.16 ERA in 12 starts...Recorded four starts of 6.0 innings and one or fewer runs allowed...Opened the season with a 1.06 ERA (2 ER/17.0 IP) with nine strikeouts, four walks and a .177 opp. AVG (7-for-60) in his first three starts...Tossed 5.0 no-hit innings in his first start, July 27 at Cincinnati...2020 Pitch Mix: Cutter (31.8%) 4-Seam Fastball (27.8%) Sinker (14.1%) Changeup (13.5%) Curveball (12.8%)
2019
Jon went 13-10 with a 4.46 ERA (85 ER/171.2 IP) in 31 starts with the Cubs, his 12th-straight season reaching at least 30 starts...the 4.46 ERA was his highest since the 2012 season with Boston (4.82)...Had a 1.16 ERA (5 ER/38.2 IP) in his first seven starts but a 5.41 ERA (80 ER/133.0 IP) in his final 24 starts...Took a decision in 12-straight starts, May 12-July 13, the longest streak by a Cubs starter since Jason Hammel did so in 13-straight starts, July 16-September 24, 2016...marked his longest streak since a 15-game run, March 31-June 17, 2014...Walked one or zero batters in 16 of his 31 starts, including in a career-high seven-straight starts, April 8-May 23...was the longest single-season streak by a Cub since José Quintana, Aug. 30-Sept. 29, 2017 (six)...Was on the injured list, April 9-25, with a left hamstring strain suffered in his start, April 8 vs. Pittsburgh, while running the bases...Struck out eight batters in 7.0-scoreless innings, May 1 at Seattle...eighth-career start of 7.0+ scoreless innings and one or zero hits allowed...Hit his third-career home run, July 13 vs. Pittsburgh...earned the win in the 10-4 triumph...Made his 400th-career regular season start, July 27 at Milwaukee, becoming the sixth active pitcher to reach the mark...joins CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez and teammate Cole Hamels...Went 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA (8 ER/26.0 IP) in four July starts...Tabbed as the Cubs Opening Day starter for the fourth time, and third-straight campaign (also, 2015)...made his eighth Opening Day start overall (four times with Boston)...became the first lefty in franchise history to make four Opening Day starts, surpassing Hippo Vaughn (1915, 1917, 1919).
2018
Jon was the linchpin of the Cubs starting rotation, going 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA (67 ER/181.2 IP) in 32 starts, walking 64 and striking out 149 ... he earned his fifth career All-Star nod and went on to lead the team in wins, innings and starts ... Chicago was 24-8 in his outings ... His 18 victories ranked tied for first in the N.L. and first among lefties ... Threw a season-high 7.0 innings six times, including four outings with 7.0 shutout innings ... Had eight outings of at least 6.0 scoreless innings, second-most in the N.L (Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams, 10) and tied for third-most in the majors with Cleveland's Corey Kluber ... Tossed 6.0 or more innings in 17 starts ... allowed three or fewer earned runs in 25 outings ... Went 11-2 with a 2.87 ERA (27 ER/84.2 IP) in 15 road starts, walking 23 and striking out 76 ... His 11 road wins ranked first among N.L. pitchers while his 2.87 ERA was seventh ... Closed out the season with a 1.71 ERA (9 ER/47.1 IP) in his final eight starts ... opened the year with a 2.25 ERA (25 ER/100.0 IP) in his first 17 starts before he pitched to an 8.65 ERA (33 ER/34.1 IP) in his next seven outings ... Went 4-1 with a 0.47 ERA (2 ER/38.1 IP) in a six-start span at home, April 5-June 20 ... Pitched at least 6.0 innings in seven-straight outings, May 18-June 20, posting a 1.57 ERA (8 ER/46.0 IP) in that span ... Earned the win in seven-straight starts beginning May 29, and went on to win eight-straight decisions through July 15 ... Named N.L. Pitcher of the Month for June, going 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA (4 ER/32.0 IP) in five starts, leading the league in ERA and opponent batting average (.155) while tied for the most wins ... Finished the season's first half 12-2 with a 2.58 ERA (32 ER/111.2 IP) to become the first Cubs lefthander in franchise history to reach 12 wins by the All-Star break ... Made his third Opening Day start for the Cubs (also, 2015 and 2017) … was his seventh Opening Day start overall (four times with Boston) … joined Hippo Vaughn (1915, 1917, 1919) as the only Cubs lefties to make three Opening Day starts ... Earned a win in his 100th start with the Cubs on April 19 vs. St. Louis, allowed one unearned run on two hits, while striking out seven in 6.0 innings in the club's 8-5 victory ... Through 100 starts for Chicago, Lester's 602 strikeouts were the most by a lefty and fifth-most for any pitcher since 1913, while his 45 wins were tied for third-most for any Cubs southpaw ... Belted his second career homer, July 1 vs. Minnesota ... finished the season with a career-high nine RBI, the second-most among pitchers.
2017
Jon made 32 starts for the third-straight season since joining the Cubs, going 13-8 with a 4.33 ERA (87 ER/180.2 IP) and 180 strikeouts ... is one of four Cubs lefties all-time with at least three seasons of 32 games started... Held lefties to a .205 average (33-for-161) while righties batted .275 (146-for-530)... Led the Cubs with 32 starts, 180.2 innings pitched and 180 strikeouts... Recorded eight outings of at least 7.0 innings ... no other Cubs starter had more than four such starts... Was placed on the disabled list August 18 with left lat tightness and general shoulder fatigue ... was activated September 2 ... went 5-1 with a 4.18 ERA (15 ER/32.1 IP) in six starts after being activated... Ended the season with consecutive wins, allowing just one run in 11.0 innings... Pitched to a 5.63 ERA (39 ER/62.1 IP) in the first two innings of games, but posted a 3.65 ERA (48 ER/118.1) beginning in the third inning... Struck out his 2,000th-career batter, August 1 vs. Arizona (Jack Reinheimer) ... also recorded his first-career home run during that game ... is one of 25 southpaws all-time with 2,000 punchouts... Took a perfect game into the sixth inning, July 22 vs. the Cardinals ... retired the first 17 batters before Adam Wainwright singled with two outs in the sixth ... earned the win in the Cubs 3-2 triumph... Struck out a season-high tying 10 batters three times: May 23 vs. San Francisco, June 13 at the Mets and July 22 vs. the Cardinals... Set the record for the longest winning streak by a southpaw in Wrigley Field history, going 12-0 with a 1.55 ERA (19 ER/110.1 IP) from May 27, 2016-May 23, 2017 ... made him the fourth pitcher in Cubs history to go 12-0 or better in a 16-start span at Wrigley Field, but the first to do so with an ERA under 2.00... Suffered his shortest-career outing, July 9 vs. Pittsburgh, as he allowed 10 runs (four earned) in just 0.2 innings... Earned a complete game victory, May 23 vs. the Giants, allowing one run on four hits in the Cubs 4-1 victory ... threw just 99 pitches, becoming the first Cubs pitcher to throw a complete game under 100 pitches since Carlos Zambrano, September 25, 2009 at the Giants (98 pitches) … was his 15th-career complete game... Started the Cubs Season Opener, April 2 at St. Louis, as well as the Cubs Home Opener, April 10 vs. the Dodgers … became just the fourth Cub to start both the team's season opener when on the road and its home opener … he joined Grover Alexander (1920, 1922), Rick Sutcliffe (1986, 1988) and Jon Lieber (2000)... Posted a 1.88 ERA (3 ER/14.1 IP) in three postseason games, including one relief outing ... he took a no-decision in each outing ... allowed one run on two hits in 6.0 innings in NLDS Game Two at Washington.
2016
Named to the N.L. All-Star team, Jon tied a career-high and ranked second in the N.L. with 19 wins ... posted a career-best 2.44 ERA (55 ER/202.2 IP) with 197 strikeouts in 32 starts ... collected 26 quality starts, the most by a Cubs southpaw since Dick Ellsworth notched 29 in 1963 ... Notched a home ERA of 1.74 (20 ER/103.1 IP) in 15 starts, third in the majors ... the lowest mark by a Cubs lefty since Johnny Schmitz's 1.71 ERA in 1946 ... had a 3.17 ERA (35 ER/99.1 IP) in 17 starts on the road ... Recorded a quality start in all 15 of his home appearances, setting the franchise record (since at least 1913) for the most home starts in a single season without a non-quality start ... Allowed three or fewer earned runs in 27 of his 32 starts, including a major league-leading 21 starts with one or fewer earned runs allowed ... tied for the most such starts by a pitcher in the last 40 seasons ... Ranked among N.L. leaders in wins (19, 2nd), ERA (2.44, 2nd), opposing average (.211, 4th), opposing OPS (.602, 3rd), WHIP (1.02, 3rd) and quality starts (26, t-1st) ... held lefty batters to a .200 clip (34-for-170) ... Led the majors with an 84.9 left-on-base percentage according to Fangraphs, his best-career output and the second-best mark by any pitcher over the last six seasons ... Went 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA (3 ER/27.0 IP) in four Interleague starts ... struck out 26 compared to two free passes ... Fanned 10 batters three times: April 17 vs. Colorado, April 29 vs. Atlanta and June 1 vs. the Dodgers ... Went 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in five April starts … set career bests for the month of April in ERA, opponents batting average (.207) and opponents OBP (.250) ... Took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Pittsburgh, May 15, and finished by allowing only one run on two hits over 6.2 IP ... again took a no-no into the seventh, September 2 against San Francisco, and finished by tossing his 14th-career complete game, allowing only one run ... Punched out 26 batters and allowed zero walks in a three start span from June 1-12 … the first Cubs pitcher to accomplish the feat since Jon Lieber fanned 27 and walked none in a three-start stretch, September 20-October 1, 1999 ... Tossed his 13th-career complete game, June 1 vs. the Dodgers … became the first Cubs pitcher to allow a leadoff homer then not allow another run in a complete game effort since Larry French, July 26, 1940 at the Giants … was his first career complete game with 10 or more strikeouts and no walks … retired his final 15 batters following a single to lead off the fifth inning ... Was named National League Player of the Week for June 6-12, 2016, after going 2-0 without yielding an earned run in 15.0 innings pitched ... Finished June with a 4-0 record and a 1.41 ERA (7 ER/44.2 IP) in six starts, his best-career ERA in the month of June … was named N.L. Pitcher of the Month ... was also named N.L. Pitcher of the Month in September after finishing September with a 5-0 record and a 0.48 ERA (2 ER/37.2 IP) in five starts, the second-lowest ERA by a Cubs pitcher in the month (Jake Arrieta, 0.45 in 2015) and his career-best ERA in any month ... Saw his ERA rise by nearly an entire run over a two-start stretch, July 3 at the Mets (8 ER/1.1 IP) and July 9 at Pittsburgh (5 ER/3.0 IP) … finished July with a 7.36 ERA (18 ER/22.0 IP) in five starts ... Made a relief appearance in the All-Star Game, pitching 0.2 IP without allowing a hit while walking one batter ... Went 10-1 with a 1.76 ERA (18 ER/92.0 IP) in 14 starts after the AllStar Break, his lowest ERA post-Break in his career ... is one of only five Cubs hurlers to start at least 10 games after the All-Star Break and have a winning percentage of above .900 ... Laid down a walk-off sacrifice bunt as a pinch-hitter in the Cubs come-from-behind 7-6 victory (12 inn.) over Seattle, July 31 ... led the Cubs with 10 sacrifice hits ... Allowed one or zero runs in eight-straight starts, August 17-September 25, the longest streak in franchise history and tied for the longest streak in baseball since Bob Gibson had 11-straight such starts, June 6-July 30, 1968 ... The Cubs won 12 of his last 14 starts to end the regular season, including seven-straight from July 18-August 22 ... the seven-straight team wins tied a career-high ... Notched his career-high 10th-straight win and eighth-straight start of one or zero runs allowed by throwing 6.2-scoreless innings, September 25 vs. St. Louis ... Appeared in six games (five starts) in the postseason, going 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA (8 ER/35.2 IP) ... fanned 30 batters and walked only six ... his five starts are tied for the most in one postseason in Cubs history (also, Kyle Hendricks in 2016), and his three wins and his 35.2 innings pitched in 2016 are the most by one pitcher in Cubs postseason history ... Pitched a postseason career-high 8.0 innings in Game One of the NLDS vs. San Francisco ... earned the win in the Cubs 1-0 triumph ... Named co-MVP of the NLCS after going 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA (2 ER/13.0 IP) in two NLCS starts, including a Game Five victory in which he allowed just one run in 7.0 innings of work ... Allowed two runs on four hits in Game Five of the World Series, earning the win in a potential elimination game for Chicago ... Appeared on two days rest to toss 3.0 innings of relief in a decisive World Series Game Seven, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while fanning four in the Cubs 8-7 victory.
2015
In his first season with the Cubs, Jon Lester set a single-season franchise mark by a left-hander with 207 strikeouts, surpassing Ken Holtzman's 202 strikeouts in 1970 ... Jon's 21 quality starts ranked third among N.L. lefties ... all told, was 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA (76 ER/205.0 IP) in 32 starts. Set the single-season franchise record with four double-digit strikeout games by a left-handed pitcher. His 14 strikeouts, July 29 vs. the Rockies, set a single-game franchise mark for a left-handed pitcher. Just the third Cubs lefthander since 1971 to reach 21 quality starts in a season, joining Ted Lilly in 2008-09 and Travis Wood in 2013. Spun his 12th career complete game, and first as a Cub, September 15 (gm. 2) in Pittsburgh ... allowed one run, walked one and struck out nine in the 2-1 victory. Was 7-9 with a 3.60 ERA (50 ER/125.0 IP) in 20 home starts. w Made six-straight home starts, July 24-August 24 ... was the first Cub to make six-straight starts at Wrigley Field since Fergie Jenkins in 1982. Limited opponents to a .288 on-base percentage ... ranked ninth-best in the N.L. Went a career-high 10-straight starts without a win from May 22 to July 11, despite posting a 3.50 ERA (24 ER/61.2 IP) during the span. Went at least 7.0 innings in seven-straight starts, July 1-August 7 … was the longest streak by a Cubs pitcher since Carlos Zambrano went seven-straight starts from June 28-August 2, 2005. Posted a 1.66 ERA (8 ER/43.1 IP) in July, going at least 7.0 innings in each of his six starts … struck out 50 batters in a calendar month for the first time in his career. w First Cubs pitcher since at least 1914 with 50 or more strikeouts and five or fewer walks in a calendar month … led all pitchers in July with 50 strikeouts and 43.1 innings pitched. Made his Cubs debut on Opening Night, April 5 vs. St. Louis ... was his fifth-straight Opening Day start after earning the honor with Boston from 2011-14. w Was the first left-handed Opening Day starter for the Cubs since Terry Mulholland in 1997. © Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout, May 16 vs. Pittsburgh, striking out Sean Rodriguez to end the top of the fourth. w Became the 200th major league pitcher to reach the mark. Snapped a Major League record career-opening 0-for-66 drought with an infield single off St. Louis' John Lackey, July 6 at Wrigley Field. Took a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Atlanta, July 18, before surrendering a single to A.J. Pierzysnki to lead off the frame. Walked two, struck out 14 and pitched to a 4.50 ERA (7 ER/14.0 IP) in two post-season starts: Game One of the NLDS at St. Louis (left down 2-0 in the eighth) and Game One of the NLCS at New York (left down 4-1 in the seventh).
2014
Jon made 21 starts for Boston before he was traded to Oakland, July 31...He made 11 outings for Oakland, and started the A.L. Wild Card game against Kansas City … all told, went 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA (60 ER/219.2 IP) in 32 starts between the Red Sox and Athletics...With Boston, went 10-7 with a 2.52 ERA (40 ER/143.0 IP), 149 strikeouts, 32 walks and a 1.12 WHIP...Allowed two earned runs or fewer with at least six strikeouts in each of his first four starts from March 31-April 17...Became the third Red Sox to begin a season with such a streak since 1914...Set a team record for most strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher in a regulation nine-inning game when he fanned 15 batters in 8.0 innings against Oakland on May 3...Traded to Oakland, July 31, with outfielder Jonny Gomes and cash considerations for outfielder Yoenis Céspedes and a 2015 competitive balance pick...Went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA (20 ER/76.2 IP) in 11 starts with Oakland, helping the Athletics to an AL Wild Card berth...Named AL Player of the Week for September 8-14 after going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts (2 ER/14.0 IP) with 15 strikeouts...Overall, his 2.46 ERA was his lowest full-season ERA of his career and he pitched a career-high 219.2 innings.
2013
2013: Went 15-8 (.652) with a 3.75 ERA (89 ER/213.1 IP) over 33 starts to lead the Red Sox in wins, games started, innings pitched, strikeouts (177), and quality starts. Matched his single-season career high in games started (also 2008 and 2012), tied for 4th in the AL and just 1 game shy of the ML leaders. Ranked among AL leaders in wins (T-6th) and winning percentage (9th). Set new single-season career high in innings (previous 210.1 in 2008), the 7th most in the AL (T-12th in MLB). Won 15 games for the 5th time in his career, tied with Pedro Martinez, Luis Tiant, and Mel Parnell as the 3rd-most 15-win seasons as a Red Sox, trailing only Roger Clemens and Cy Young (both with 7). Has collected at least 15 wins in all but 1 season since 2008 (9-14 in 2012)...CC Sabathia is the only other pitcher in the majors to reach the 15-win mark in 5 seasons during that span. Eclipsed 200.0 innings pitched for the 5th time, tied for the 5th most such seasons by a Red Sox and just 1 shy of Mel Parnell's 6 for the most by a Boston left-hander. Finished the season as the all-time Red Sox left-handed leader with 1,237 SO, ranking 5th overall on Boston's all-time list (Cy Young is next with 1,341). Also among Red Sox lefty leaders, ranks 3rd with 100 wins (11th overall, Lefty Grove is next with 105) and 2nd with 220 GS (7th overall, Bill Monbouquette is next with 228). Went 9-1 with a 2.68 ERA (26 ER/87.1 IP) in starts following a Red Sox loss this season...Boston was 11-2 in those contests. Was 6-1 and posted a 2.84 ERA (23 ER/73.0 IP) in 11 day games, the 8th-lowest rate among AL qualifiers...His 6 day wins were tied for the 4th most by an American Leaguer...His .857 winning percentage during the day was 2nd to only Max Scherzer's 1.000 mark (5-0). Was the 1st Red Sox left-handed starter to begin a season 6-0 since Bill Lee in 1978 (6-0). Struck out 5 or more batters in each of his 1st 9 starts of 2013, the longest ever such streak to begin a campaign by a Red Sox left-hander and 1 shy of the longest streak in his career (twice, last 4/7-5/25/11). Allowed 3 runs or fewer and 6 hits or less in each of his 1st 5 starts from 4/1-24, becoming the 1st Sox lefty starter to do it in the club's 1st 21 games of a season in the live ball era (since 1920)...Only 2 other Sox starters overall have done it in that time: Pedro Martinez in 2000 and Roger Clemens in 1991. Gave up his 1st homer of the season on 4/24 vs. OAK, ending a stretch of 5 straight starts without allowing a longball since 10/2/12...His 4-game homerless stretch to start 2013 was a new career high. 10th career complete game and 3rd career shutout... Had gone 149 starts between shutouts (last 7/3/08 at NYY). Allowed just 1 base runner, the 1st Red Sox to do that at Fenway Park since Derek Lowe vs. TB in a 4/27/02 no-hitter (1 BB). Was the 1st Sox left-hander to allow 1 hit or less in a CG since his no-hitter on 5/19/08 vs. KC and was the 1st Red Sox left-hander to allow exactly 1 hit in a CG since Frank Viola on 9/30/92 at TOR...Marked the 1st time since at least 1916 that a Sox lefty held an opponent to 1 hit or none without allowing a walk in a CG. With 5 strikeouts on 5/15 at TB, passed Josh Beckett (1,108 SO) for 5th on the Red Sox all-time list. Appeared in his 200th game on 5/31 at NYY, the 14th Red Sox left-hander to reach that milestone. Tallied his 200th career start on 6/6 vs. TEX, becoming the 3rd Red Sox left-hander and 12th Boston hurler overall to reach that milestone. Posted a 2.57 ERA (25 ER/87.2 IP) after the All-Star break, the 6th-best rate in the AL in that time...11 of his 13 outings during that span were quality starts. Did not allow a home run in a career-high 9 straight starts from 8/8-9/20...Went 70.1 homerless innings over the streak, surpassing his previous career high of 62.2 IP in 2009. Had a quality start in 9 consecutive outings from 8/8-9/20, posting an AL-best 1.80 ERA (13 R/65.0 IP) in that time (5th in the MLB)...The 9-game quality start streak matched his career high from 8/4-9/19/09 which was also the last time any Red Sox had a QS streak that long. Hurst and Tom Brewer for 7th on the Sox all-time list...It also eclipsed Hurst for 2nd-most starts by a Sox left-hander. Earned his 100th career win in the game that clinched the AL East Division on 9/20 vs. TOR...Became the 11th player, 3rd left-hander, to win 100 games with the Red Sox...Joined Smoky Joe Wood (100-49), Mel Parnell (100- 55), Bob Stanley (100-75), and Roger Clemens (100-47) as the only players to win their 1st 100 career games with Boston...Only Wood, Clemens, and Parnell did it in fewer outings. Went unbeaten (4-0) with a 2.55 ERA (12 ER/42.1 IP) in 6 starts against the Blue Jays...His 4 wins vs. TOR matched the most by a Red Sox in a single season since 1977 when the Blue Jays came into existence...Joined Tim Wakefield (2004), Chuck Rainey (1979), and Dennis Eckersley (1978) as the only Boston pitchers to tally 4 wins in a season against the Jays, all going 4-0.
2012
Led the Sox and finished among AL leaders in starts (T-4th, 33), complete games (T-5th,
3), and innings (10th, 205.1)...Topped BOS with 17 quality starts, including 7 in last 12 outings.
His 4.82 ERA for the season was the highest of his career after posting a sub-3.50 ERA in each of his previous
4 seasons from 2008-11...Matched career high for games started...Tossed career-high 3 complete games (4/11
at TOR, 5/14 vs. SEA, 8/30 at LAA), the most by a Sox left-hander since Frank Viola in 1992 (6).
Established a club-record for career strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher, passing Bruce Hurst (1,043) during
his start on 9/11 vs. NYY (ended season with 1,060)...Also moved up to 7th on the Sox all-time strikeout list,
passing Bill Monbouquette (969), Smoky Joe Wood (986), and Hurst during the 2012 season.
Induced career-high-tying 27 double plays (also 2008), tied for 2nd-most in the ML (TOR's Henderson Alvarez, 30).
Received 4.65 runs of support per 9.0 innings (106 RS/205.1 IP), the lowest rate among Red Sox starters with
at least 50.0 IP...Left with the lead as the pitcher of record but ended up not factoring in the decision 6 times.
Went 6-4 with a 3.20 ERA (35 ER/98.1 IP) in 15 starts on the road, the 3rd-best road ERA among AL leaders...
Allowed 1 ER or less 7 times away from home...Held opponents to a .238 AVG (87-for-365) on the road, the
8th-best rate among AL hurlers.
Posted a .220 opponent AVG (47-for-214) in day games, the 7th-best rate among American Leaguers with at
least 5 starts during the day.
Was Sox Opening Day starter for 2nd straight year, getting the nod on 4/5 at DET...Became 1st Red Sox lefty to
make back-to-back Opening Day starts since Mel Parnell did it 3 straight years from 1952-54...Babe Ruth (1916-
18) and Lefty Grove (1939-40) are the only other LHP to start on Opening Day in consecutive years for BOS.
Snapped career-long stretches of 5 losses and 8 winless starts (dating back to 9/11/11) with his 1st win of the
year on 4/28 at CWS...Surrendered career-high 11 runs on 7/22 vs. TOR...Posted a 3.92 ERA (37 ER/85.0 IP) in
his final 13 starts following that outing.
Tallied 1,000th career K in his 176th career outing on 7/28 at NYY, becoming the 2nd-fastest Red Sox pitcher
to hit the milestone after Roger Clemens (1,220 K's) and 8th-fastest big league left-hander since 1918.
Allowed 3 runs or less in 9 of last 12 starts beginning 8/2, tallying a 3.76 ERA (33 ER/79.0 IP) in that span...
Won a season-high 3 consecutive starts from 8/12-24.
Struck out a season-high 12 batters over 6.0 innings on 8/12 at CLE...Marked the 3rd time in Red Sox history
that a pitcher struck out at least 12 batters while tossing 6.0 or fewer innings...Lester also did it with 12 K's in
6.0 IP on 5/31/09 at TOR, and Pedro Martinez had 13 K's over 6.0 frames on 4/19/01 at TB.
Lost to BAL for 1st time in his 21st career start against the club on 9/21, falling to 14-1 against the O's...The
14-game win streak against BAL was the longest ever vs. the Orioles franchise (since 1901) to begin a career.
2011
Finished tied for 10th in the American League with 15 wins and tied for 9th with a .625
winning percentage (9 losses)...Placed 8th among AL leaders with an average of 8.55 strikeouts
per 9.0 innings (182 K's/191.2 IP)...Selected to the AL All-Star team for the 2nd straight year.
Limited left-handed batters to a .207 clip (38-for-184), the 3rd-lowest mark among AL southpaws.
Held opponents scoreless in 6 outings, tied for 4th most among AL starters, 1 shy of the league leaders...Allowed 1 run or less 13 times, tied for 5th most in that group, and tied for 8th by yielding 2 runs or less 17 times.
Recorded 19 quality starts, 2nd on the team behind Josh Beckett's 20...Was 13-4 with a 1.83 ERA (26
ER/128.0 IP) in those 19 quality outings.
Received an average of 6.86 runs of support per 9.0 innings (146 runs/191.2 IP), the 2nd-highest rate among
Major League qualifiers behind Texas' Derek Holland (7.64)...Got at least 6 runs of support in 10 of 31 starts,
including 10 runs or more 5 times.
Won 7 of 10 daytime decisions, tied for 2nd most in the AL behind Detroit's Justin Verlander (8), and tied for
3rd in the Majors, also trailing Philadelphia's Roy Halladay (11)...Notched a 3.25 ERA (26 ER/72.0 IP) in his 12
day starts compared to 3.61 (48 ER/119.2 IP) in 19 nighttime outings.
Hit a career-high 11 batters, tied for 7th most in the AL...Tied for 5th in the AL with 75 walks.
Tallied a season-high 11 strikeouts twice, 5/3 vs. LAA and 9/6 at TOR.
Went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP) in 2 starts vs. BAL, improving to 14-0 in 18 career starts against the
Orioles, extending his mark for the longest win streak ever vs. the O's franchise (since 1901) to begin a career.
Was 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA (7 ER/30.1 IP) over 5 starts vs. TOR...Became the 2nd Red Sox hurler ever to go undefeated in at least 5 starts against the Blue Jays in a single season, joining Hideo Nomo (3-0 in 5 starts in 2001).
Won his 1st 2 of 5 starts vs. NYY, 5/15 (6.0 IP, 4 R/ER) and 6/7 (6.0 IP, 3 R/ER), both in the Bronx...Including
wins in his last 3 starts against NYY in 2010, became the 1st Boston pitcher to win 5 consecutive starts against
the Yankees since Reggie Cleveland won 5 in a row from 7/26/75-6/18/77...4 of those victories were in New
York, the 1st Red Sox hurler to win 4 straight starts in the Bronx since Roger Clemens won 4 at the original Yankee Stadium, 9/30/87-6/10/89...Was the 1st Sox lefty to win 4 straight starts against the Yankees in New York
since Babe Ruth won 4 in a row from 1916-17, with all 4 of those games being played at the Polo Grounds...5-
start win streak came to an end with a loss vs. NYY at Fenway on 8/5 (6.0 IP, 3 R/ER) and win streak in New York
ended with a loss on 9/24 (2.2 IP, 8 R/ER).
Made 1st career Opening Day start on 4/1 at TEX, becoming the 11th left-hander (18th time) ever to start
for Boston on Opening Day, 1st since David Wells at Yankee Stadium on 4/3/05...At 27 years and 84 days old,
was the youngest Sox pitcher to start on Opening Day since Pedro Martinez on 4/1/98 (26 years, 158 days)
and youngest left-hander with an Opening Day assignment for Boston since Bruce Hurst on 4/2/86 (26 years,
9 days)...Did not factor in the Red Sox 9-5 loss after surrendering 5 runs, all coming on a career-high 3 home
runs, over 5.1 innings...Failed to record a strikeout for just the 2nd time in his career, also 4/9/08 vs. DET (5.1 IP).
Recorded 6 straight quality starts from 4/7-5/3, tied for the 2nd-longest such streak of his career behind a
9-gamer from 8/4-9/19/09...During the 6-start span, went 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA (7 ER/41.0 IP).
Struck out at least 5 batters in 10 straight starts from 4/7-5/25 with 70 total K's over 64.1 innings...The streak
tied for the longest such stretch of his career (also, 4/12-5/30/10) and tied for the 3rd longest in the AL in 2011
(DET's Justin Verlander, 22; NYY's CC Sabathia, 17)...
Tallied a 7-game win streak, 4/17-5/25, tied for 5th longest in the AL in 2011 and tied for the 2nd-longest
stretch of winning decisions in his career behind an 8-gamer, 4/28-6/16/10...Posted a 3.22 ERA (18 ER/50.1
IP) over 8 starts in that time...Won each of 4 straight starts from 4/17-5/3 (1.33 ERA, 4 ER/27.0 IP), tied for his
2nd-longest career streak of consecutive winning starts behind a 6-gamer, 8/27-9/25/10.
Passed Dutch Leonard (771) to move into 2nd place among Sox lefty career strikeout leaders with his 2nd of
5 K's during his start on 5/20 vs. CHC.
Threw a season-high 127 pitches in a losing effort on 5/30 vs. CWS (5.2 IP, 7 R/ER)...Marked his 2nd-most
pitches thrown in a single game in his career behind his no-hitter (130 on 5/19/08 vs. KC)...Also, tied with Clay
Buchholz (5/18 vs. DET) for the most by a Sox pitcher in 2011.
Yielded 1 run on 2 hits (HR, 1B) and a walk over 8.0 innings in the Sox 14-1 win at TOR on 6/12...The 3 base runners
allowed marked the 2nd fewest in any start of at least 8.0 IP in his career after 2 in his no-hitter on 5/19/08 vs. KC.
Earned his 10th win with 7.0 scoreless innings in a 5-2 Sox victory at PHI on 6/30...Became the 1st Red Sox
left-hander with 10 wins over the club's 1st 80 games of a season since Bill Lee in 1975...Also the 1st time he
accumulated 10 wins before the end of June.
Notched a season-high, 16.0-inning scoreless streak over parts of 3 starts from 6/30 (1st inning)-7/25 (5th).
Posted a 1.56 ERA (3 ER/17.1 IP) over 3 July starts while going 1-0 (club 2-1)...Was the 4th-lowest ERA in the
month among AL hurlers with at least 3 starts.
Left his start on 7/5 vs. TOR with a left latissimus strain after 4.0 no-hit innings...Had allowed only 1 base
runner (walk, J.P. Arencibia) and struck out 5 batters but did not factor in Boston's 3-2 win...Since 1919, it was
the latest a Sox starter was removed from a game with no hits allowed...Placed on the 15-day disabled list on
7/6 due to the left latissimus strain and activated 7/25.
Added to the AL All-Star roster on 7/10...When Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez became inactive with a start
in final game before the break, was next-highest ranked player-elected pitcher...Due to DL stint, was replaced
by Toronto's Ricky Romero.
Allowed 1 earned run or less in a career-high 5 straight starts from 8/16-9/6, going 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA (4
ER/31.0 IP) in that time...Since 1919, the only other left-handed Red Sox starter with such a run was Lefty Grove
who also had a 5-game stretch from 4/17-5/5/36.
Tossed 43 pitches in the 1st inning on 9/1 vs. NYY, a career high for a single frame, but gave up just 1 run...Followed with 4.0 scoreless innings before leaving with a 2-1 lead but did not factor in a Red Sox 4-2 loss.
Made last start of the season in the club's final game on 9/28 at BAL on 3-days rest, his 3rd-career appearance
(2nd start) on 3-days rest (other start came on 4/23/08 vs. LAA)...Threw 6.0 innings of 2-run ball but did not
factor in the Red Sox 4-3 walk-off loss.
2010
Named Red Sox Pitcher of the Year along with Clay Buchholz by the Boston Chapter
of the BBWAA...Posted a career-high 19 wins and was selected to his 1st AL All-Star team.
Marked 3rd straight season winning Boston Pitcher of the Year honors...With Clay Buchholz, became 1st pair of
Sox hurlers to share the award since Bill Lee and Luis Tiant in 1973.
Finished 4th in American League Cy Young Award voting (1, 3rd place votes; 9, 4th and 12, 5th).
19 wins were the most by a Red Sox left-hander since Mel Parnell tallied 21 victories in 1953...At 26 years old, was
the youngest Sox southpaw with at least 19 victories in a season since Babe Ruth won 24 as a 22 year old in 1917.
Also set career marks in losses (9), runs (81) and walks (83) and matched in strikeouts (225, also 2009).
Led the AL and was 2nd in the Majors in K's per 9.0 IP (9.7)...Ranked among AL leaders in wins (T-2nd, 19),
strikeouts (3rd, 225), opponent batting avg. (4th, .220), ERA (9th, 3.25) and win pct. (9th, .679)...Also was tops
among Sox hurlers in wins, strikeouts and opponent batting average.
Finished 3rd in the AL with a 2.88 road ERA (36 ER/112.1 IP) and led the Majors with 11 road wins.
Went 14-6 with a 3.48 ERA (59 ER/152.2 IP) in 24 night starts, tied with Clay Buchholz for the AL lead in night
wins and 10th in the circuit in night ERA...8th in the AL with a 2.60 day ERA (16 ER/55.1 IP) while going 5-3.
Tied with Seattle's Felix Hernandez and Texas' C.J. Wilson for the AL lead with 20 starts of 2 runs or less and
tied with Hernandez and Oakland's Trevor Cahill to pace the circuit with 15 starts of 1 run or less...Tied with
Oakland's Gio Gonzalez for the AL lead with 8 starts of no runs allowed.
Recorded 10 or more strikeouts in 7 outings, most in the AL and tied with Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo and
San Francisco's Tim Lincecum for the most in the Majors...Marked a new single-season career high (6 in 2009)...
Reached double-digit strikeouts in a career-high 4 straight starts from 8/27-9/13, the longest such streak in the
Majors since Jake Peavy also compiled 4 straight for the Padres from 4/25-5/11/07...Johan Santana was the last
American Leaguer to do it, with 5 straight 10+ K games for the Twins, 6/20-7/11/04...The last Sox hurler to do it
was Pedro Martinez with a 5-game run, 5/12-6/04/01...It was the longest ever such streak by a Sox lefty.
Went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA (6 ER/25.0 IP) in 4 starts vs. the
Orioles, improving his career record against Baltimore to 13-0
with a 2.33 mark (26 ER/100.1 IP)...With his final win of the
season over the O's on 9/1, passed Red Faber for the longest
win streak vs. the Orioles franchise to begin a career...Faber
had victories in each of his 1st 12 decisions vs. St. Louis
Browns, 1914-16...His 13 straight victories vs. Baltimore is
the longest current win streak by any active pitcher against
any team...The last Red Sox pitcher to win that many consecutive
decisions against any club was Pedro Martinez who won
all 13 of his appearances (12 GS) vs. Seattle from 1998-2004.
Started and lost the 1st official game at the Twins new Target Field
on 4/12 (4 ER/5.0 IP)...Became the 1st Red Sox hurler to start the 1st
official game at a new Major League ballpark since Howard Ehmke
on 4/18/23 against NYY at Yankee Stadium (4-1 loss).
Recorded his 500th career strikeout against Willy Aybar in the 4th
inning on 4/18 vs. TB...Became the 7th LHP in Sox history to reach that
mark, 1st since Bruce Hurst on 9/20/85 vs. DET...Was the fastest southpaw
ever to reach 500 K's for Boston, doing so in his 95th appearance.
Tallied a career-long, 8-game win streak over 11 starts from 4/23-
6/16 (2.01 ERA, 17 ER/76.0 IP, 82 K's), the longest stretch by a lefthanded
Sox starter since Roger Moret went 12-0, 9/19/71-9/12/73...
In 2010, only the Yankees CC Sabathia (9, 6/3-7/22) and Rockies Ubaldo
Jimenez (9, 5/15-7/8) had longer win streaks.
Put together a season-high, 15.2-inning scoreless streak from
4/23-5/4 (4th inning)...Tossed 2 straight scoreless starts (5.2 IP vs.
BAL on 4/23; 7.0 IP at TOR on 4/28) before allowing a run in the 4th
inning vs. LAA on 5/4...Also compiled a 15.0-inning scoreless run
from the 8th inning on 9/13 at SEA through a pair of scoreless 7.0
inning starts, 9/19 vs. TOR and 9/25 at NYY.
Surrendered just 1 hit with 11 K's over 7.0 innings for the win on
4/28 at TOR...Became the 1st Boston lefty to allow 1 hit or less over
at least 7.0 innings while striking out at least 10 since Roger Moret
on 8/21/74 vs. CWS (9.0 IP, 1 H, 12 K's).
Named AL Pitcher of the Month for May, his 3rd career monthly
honor (also July and September 2008)...During the month, went 5-0
with an AL-best 1.84 ERA (5 ER/44.0 IP) and an ML-best 45 K's over
6 starts.
Tossed a pair of complete games, including in his 100th career start on
5/20 vs. MIN (2 R/1 ER) and opposite Tim Lincecum on 6/27 at SF (1 R)...
Drove in what proved to be the winning run with a 3rd-inning sac fly on
6/27, becoming the 1st Red Sox pitcher to throw a complete game and
record an RBI in the same game since Luis Tiant on 9/16/72.
Won on 5/25 at TB, holding the Rays to just 1 hit while walking
5 and fanning 9 over 6.0 scoreless IP...Combined with Manny Delcarmen (1.0 IP), Daniel Bard (1.0 IP) and
Jonathan Papelbon (1.0 IP) on Boston's 2nd 1-hitter of the season (also 5/22 at PHI).
Fanned 6 or more batters in a career-high 9 straight starts from 6/10-7/30, the longest such streak by a Sox
lefty in club history, and longest overall for any Sox hurler since Pedro Martinez, 8/1-9/14/04 (also 9 straight).
Earned a decision in each of his last 19 starts of the season beginning 6/16, posting a 12-7 record in that
time...Was the longest streak by a Red Sox player since Tim Wakefield's 26-game run, 4/6-8/25/07.
Improved career record to 50-18 with a victory over Arizona on 6/16 in his 106th career game, becoming just the
8th lefty ever to win his 1st 50 games with the Sox and 1st since Bruce Hurst won his 50th on 9/1/86 vs. TEX...Was
the fastest Red Sox to reach 50 wins since Roger Clemens did it in 91 games...Among pitchers who have debuted
in the Majors in the last 30 years, only 4 others had no more than 18 losses at the time of their 50th win: Dwight
Gooden (50-16), Tim Hudson (50-17), Chien-Ming Wang (50-18) and Barry Zito (50-18).
Tallied a 2.78 ERA (37 ER/120.0 IP) before the break, the best mark by any Sox lefty in the 1st half of a season
since Bruce Hurst's 2.65 mark in 1984.
Earned 1st career All-Star selection, voted on the AL squad via the Player Ballot, Boston's 1st lefty starter
to receive the honor since Bruce Hurst in 1987...Tossed a perfect 6th, recording a hold in the 7/13 exhibition.
Lost 4 straight starts from 7/18-8/4, including his 1st losses in back-to-back home starts on 7/30 vs. DET and
8/4 vs. CLE...Marks the only time the Red Sox have dropped 4 consecutive games he started...The Sox scored a
total of 3 runs while he was on the mound during the 4-game skid.
Retired his 1st 17 batters and fanned career-high 13 in a 5-1 loss at Safeco Field on 7/24...Gave up 5 runs (4 ER)
in 7.2 IP...The 13 K's were the most in a game by a Sox lefty since Bruce Hurst, 5/5/87 at OAK (14).
Allowed a career-high 9 runs over a career-low 2.0+ innings in a 16-2 loss to TOR at Fenway Park on 8/20...
Threw 53 pitches, his fewest in any career start.
Won a career-high 6 straight starts from 8/27-9/25, posting a 1.76 ERA (8 ER/41.0 IP) with 54 K's during the
run...Became 1st Sox lefty to win at least 6 consecutive outings since Bob Ojeda, 9/1-28/83 (6).
Earned the victory in his 1st 5 starts of September, becoming the 1st Red Sox pitcher to win 5 games in the
month in any single season since Roger Clemens in 1987 (5-1).
Did not strike out a batter in the 1st inning on 9/19 at TOR after recording 1 or more strikeout in each of the
previous 26.0 innings in which he faced at least 1 batter (began 2nd inning at TB on 8/27)...It was the longest
such ML streak since Rich Harden went 30.0 consecutive frames with at least 1 strikeout, 7/6-8/5/08...Pedro
Martinez was the last Sox pitcher to accomplish the feat, recording 1 K or more in 40.0 straight innings with at
least 1 batter faced, 8/8-9/10/99.
2009
Topped 15-win and 200-inning plateaus for 2nd year in a row, the 10th left-hander in Red
Sox history to reach those marks in consecutive seasons, 1st since Bruce Hurst (1987-88)...Named Red Sox Pitcher of the Year by the Boston Chapter of the BBWAA...2nd such award in as many years...Finished among AL leaders in K's per 9.0 innings (2nd, 9.96), strikeouts (3rd, 225), ERA (5th, 3.41), complete games (T-9th, 2) and wins (T-10th, 15)...Led all ML lefties in strikeouts and finished among AL southpaws in ERA (2nd), opponent batting average (2nd, .242), innings (3rd, 203.1), wins (3rd) and starts (T-3rd, 32)...225 strikeouts ranked 15th in club single-season history, the most since Pedro Martinez's 227 in 2004...SF's Tim Lincecum (10.42) and DET's Justin Verlander (10.09) were the only ML hurlers to post higher K-per-9.0 inning ratios...Passed Bruce Hurst (190 K's, 1987) for most strikeouts in a season by a Red Sox left-hander on 9/1 at TB...On 9/6 at CWS, fanned Alexei Ramirez to end the 4th inning, becoming the 1st Red Sox lefty ever to reach the 200-K plateau...Was the 10th player in club history to do it, first since Daisuke Matsuzaka (201) in 2007...Fanned at least 10 batters on 6 occasions, the most ever by a Red
Sox left-hander...Pedro Martinez was the last Sox hurler with more double-digit strikeout games in a season with 9 in 2002...Tim Lincecum (8) and Justin Verlander (7) were the only Major Leaguers with more 10-K games...Was 3rd in the AL with 23 quality starts and tied for 3rd
among Major League lefties behind PHI's Cliff Lee (24) and LAD's Randy Wolf (24)...Went 6.0 innings or more in a game 26 times, tied for 8th
in the AL...Tossed 7.0 or more frames 12 times...Struck out 10 Yankees in a 6-4 win on 5/4 in the Bronx...
Lefty Grove was the last Red Sox lefty to fan at least 10 Yankees
in a game with 11 at Fenway Park on 9/6/1936...Fanned 10 or more batters while limiting opponents to 1
run or less on 3 hits or fewer in 3 consecutive starts from 5/31-6/12, the longest such streak by any ML pitcher
since 1900...Tossed a complete-game 2-hitter in an 8-1 win over TEX on 6/6 at Fenway Park...Retired the 1st 19 batters
he faced before a 1-out double by Michael Young in the 7th inning...Was 3-5 with a 6.07 ERA (40 ER/59.1 IP) over his 1st 10 starts through 5/26, but went 12-3 with a 2.31 ERA
(37 ER/144.0 IP) in 22 starts over the remainder of the season...Went undefeated over a span of 11 starts from 7/25-9/19, going 6-0 with a 2.44 ERA (20 ER/73.2 IP)...
Allowed more than 3 earned runs just once during that span...Tossed 17.0 scoreless innings from 9/1-13, the 2nd longest stretch by a Sox hurler in 2009 year behind Josh
Beckett's 18.0-inning run, 8/1-12...Beat the Orioles, 11-5, on 9/19 at Camden Yards to improve to 10-0 in his career against BAL...Red Faber is
the only other pitcher ever to begin his career with a double-digit winning streak against that franchise, winning
each of his 1st 12 decisions against the STL Browns from 1914-16...Was forced out of his 9/25 start at Yankee Stadium with a contusion on the right quadriceps muscle after
being hit by a Melky Cabrera line drive.
2008
Spent his first full season in the majors, setting career highs and ranking
among A.L. leaders in wins (T7th, 16), starts (T5th, 33), complete games (T9th, 2), shutouts (T1st,
2), innings (7th, 210.1) and ERA (4th, 3.21)...Was 4th in the A.L. with a .727 winning percentage...
Named the Red Sox Pitcher of the Year by the Boston chapter of the BBWAA...Was the first lefty
to get the honor since Bruce Hurst in 1988.
SOUTHPAW SPECIAL: Finished 3rd among A.L. lefties with 16 wins behind Cliff Lee (22) and Joe
Saunders (17)...Were the most by a Red
Sox lefthander since Bruce Hurst's 18 in
1988...Was 6th among southpaws with
210.1 innings, 3rd in the A.L. behind
Lee (223.1) and Chicago's Mark Buehrle
(218.2)...Frank Viola was the last
lefthanded Sox pitcher with more innings
in a season with 238.0 in 1992...
Lester's 3.21 ERA (75 ER/210.1 IP) was
the lowest among that group since Viola's
3.14 mark (64 ER/183.2 IP) in 1993.
Became the 3rd left-handed Red Sox
pitcher ever to reach 15 wins, 30 starts,
200.0 innings, 150 strikeouts and a sub-3.50 ERA in a single season joining Babe Ruth (1916) and
Lefty Grove (1937).
HOME SWEET HOME: Went 11-1 in 17 starts at Fenway Park, tied with Mike Mussina and Mark
Buehrle for the A.L. lead in home victories, tied for 2nd in the majors behind Ryan Dempster
(14-3)...His 2.49 (32 ER/115.2 IP) home ERA was the 2nd-lowest in the A.L. behind Lee (2.45) and
6th in the majors.
Fell to Detroit, 7-2, on April 9, his first home start of the season, before going undefeated over
his next 16 Fenway outings, posting an 11-0 record and 2.28 ERA (28 ER/110.1 IP) in that span, the
longest home winning streak in the majors since Johan Santana went 17-0 over 24 home starts
from August 6, 2005-April 2, 2007...Is the longest streak by a Red Sox starter since Jack Kramer
won 14 straight home decisions from May 11, 1948-September 13, 1949...Boston won all 14 of his
home starts from April 29-September 25, the longest such streak by any Sox starter since 1956.
Went 6.0 innings or more in 14 of his 17 home starts, with 7.0 frames or more in 10 of those contests...
Had 13 quality starts at Fenway Park, tied with 9 other Red Sox pitchers for the 3rd most
since 1956...Only Frank Sullivan (14 in 1957) and Roger Clemens (14 in 1990) have more in that
span...James Shields (15) was the only A.L. pitcher to post more quality starts at home in 2008.
NO-HITTER: Threw the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history in a 7-0 win vs. Kansas City on May 19 at
Fenway Park...Had a season-high 9 strikeouts and allowed just 2 base runners on walks in the 2nd
and 9th innings...Retired 20 straight batters between the free passes...Tossed a career-high 130
pitches, tied with Toronto's Roy Halladay (August 9 vs. Cleveland) and Detroit's Justin Verlander (August 6 vs. White Sox) for the highest single-game total in the A.L. in 2008.
Was the first major league no-hitter of the year (also Carlos Zambrano, September 14 vs. HOU at
MIL) and Boston's first since Clay Buchholz blanked the Orioles on September 1, 2007...Was the
first by a big league lefty since Chicago's Mark Buehrle did it vs. Texas on April 18, 2007...Was just
the 2nd no-hitter ever against the Royals, the first since Nolan Ryan's first career no-no, May 15,
1973.
At 24 years, 133 days old, was the majors' youngest lefty to throw a no-hitter since St. Louis' Bud
Smith, September 3, 2001 at San Diego, and the youngest lefthander ever to do it at Fenway Park.
Is the 3rd pitcher ever to win the clinching game of a World Series in one year and throw a nohitter
the next...Rube Foster did it for Boston in 1915 and 1916 and Sandy Koufax for the Dodgers
in 1963 and 1964...Threw the no-no in Boston's 47th game of the season...The last pitcher to
throw a no-hitter for the defending World Series champs earlier in the season was Carl Erskine,
who blanked the Giants in the Dodgers' 20th game, May 12, 1956. (Elias Sports Bureau)
SHUTOUTS: Threw a pair of shutouts, his no-hitter on May 19 vs. Kansas City and July 3 against
the Yankees in New York...Allowed 5 hits with 2 walks and 9 K's over 9.0 innings for the 7-0 win
in that start...Was the first complete-game shutout by a Red Sox pitcher against the Yankees since
Pedro Martinez's 4-hitter, May 28, 2000 in the Bronx...Was the 9th shutout by a Sox lefty against
New York since 1956, the first at Yankee Stadium since Roger Moret on July 4, 1973.
Tied with Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Johan Santana for 2nd among major league lefthanders with 2
shutouts, trailing only C.C. Sabathia with 5...Is the first Sox hurler with 2 or more shutouts in a season
since Hideo Nomo (2) in 2001, the club's first lefty with at least 2 since Bruce Hurst (3) in 1987.
GOING STREAKING: Won a career-high 7 straight decisions from June 5-August 2 with a 2.56 ERA
(20 ER/70.1IP) in that time, tied with teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka (August 3-September 21) for
the 3rd-longest in the A.L. this season...Represented the most consecutive winning decisions by a
Red Sox lefty since Bruce Hurst went 7-0 over a span of 8 starts from July 24-August 28,1988.
Went 7.0 innings or more in 8 straight starts from July 3-August 18, the longest Sox streak since
Pedro Martinez made 16 such starts in a row from September 4, 1999 to June 8, 2000...Was the
longest such streak by a Sox lefty since Hurst's 8-gamer from August 24-October 1, 1985.
Snapped a career-high 7-game winning streak with a 5-3 loss at Chicago on August 8, his 50th
career start, despite allowing 4 runs in 7.0 innings...Was his first ever loss in a start of at least 7.0
innings, ending a string of 13 straight team wins in those outings to begin his career, including 10
in 2008...Since 1956, Jerry Casale is the only other Red Sox pitcher with as many consecutive team
wins in starts of at least 7.0 innings to begin his career (13 from April 15-1959 to May 3, 1960).
HONOR ROLL: Named the A.L. Pitcher of the Month for July, going 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA (7 ER/30.2
IP), 28 strikeouts and 6 walks in that period...Was his first ever monthly honor, the first for a Red
Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez in July 2002...Was just the 2nd Sox lefty to win the award, joining
Bruce Hurst (September, 1986 and August, 1988)...Took home the honor again for September,
the first Boston pitcher with multiple monthly awards in a season since Martinez (4) in 1999.
THE STOPPER: Posted a 5-1 record and 1.41 ERA (10 ER/63.2 IP) in 9 starts following a Red Sox loss,
with the team going 7-2 in those contests...Went 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA (5 ER/44.2 IP) over his final 6
such starts from June 17-August 18, including wins in each of the final 4 outings in that stretch...
Was 3-0 with a 0.29 ERA (1 ER/31.1 IP) in 4 starts following a series sweep against the Red Sox.
MORE 2008 HIGHLIGHTS: Won the September 8 contest against the Rays, the record-breaking
456th consecutive home sellout at Fenway Park...Departed his August 28 start at Yankee Stadium
with 2-0 lead, 2 outs and a runner on 2nd in the 7th inning before reliever Hideki Okajima gave
up a game-tying homer to Jason Giambi, the first batter he faced...Turned in his shortest career
start on August 23 at Toronto...Allowed 7 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks and struck out 2 over 2.1 innings
in the 11-0 loss...Beat Tampa Bay, 7-1 on June 5...Started opposite James Shields who was 1
of 3 players ejected following a bench-clearing brawl in the 2nd inning...Permitted one run on 8
hits and struck out 5 without a walk over 6.1 innings...Earned his first win of the season in his 2nd
start, 5-0 on April 2 at Oakland...Held the A's to 3 hits over 6.2 shutout innings with 3 walks and
3 K's...Retired 10 of his last 11 batters faced, including 10 straight before a single by Emil Brown
in the 7th...Started Boston's 2nd game of the season, March 26 against Oakland in Tokyo, Japan...
Allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks and struck out 4 over 4.0 innings...Gave up a 3-run homer
to Emil Brown in the 3rd inning and took the 5-1 loss, his first since August 8, 2006, a span of 15
games (14 starts) during which he went 6-0 with a 5.40 ERA (46 ER/76.2 IP).
2007
SUMMARY: Had success down the stretch for the Red Sox, going 3-0 with a 3.64 ERA (17 ER/42.0
IP) in his final 8 games (7 starts), including a 2-0 record and 3.34 ERA (11 ER/29.2 IP) in his last 6 times out (5 starts)...Was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on July 23 for his first major league
stint of 2007...Began the year on the disabled list and was sent to Single-A Greenville on rehab
assignment on April 5...Made 3 starts for the Drive, posting a 2.08 ERA (3 ER/13.0 IP)...Was sent
to Pawtucket to continue rehabbing on April 27 and was 0-1, 2.25 (2 ER/8.0 IP) before experiencing
muscle cramping in his left forearm on May 2 vs. Indianapolis...Was recalled from the rehab
assignment after that start and spent the next 2 weeks undergoing treatment before beginning
a 2nd rehab stint with the PawSox...Was activated from the D.L. on June 11 and optioned to
Pawtucket, where he went 4-5 with a 3.89 ERA in 14 starts overall.
ROAD-TESTED: 7 of his 12 major league appearances in 2007 came on the road...Went 3-0 with a
4.73 ERA (21 ER/40.0 IP) on the road and 1-0 with a 4.30 ERA (11 ER/23.0 IP) at Fenway Park...Has
gone 5-1 with a 4.60 ERA (37 ER/72.1 IP) in 14 career games (13 starts) at Fenway as opposed to a
6-1 mark and 4.75 ERA (38 ER/72.0 IP) in 13 away starts.
WALK THIS WAY: Issued 3 walks or more in 7 of his 11 major league starts, including a season-high
4 free passes in 4 of his final 6 starts...With 31 walks in 63.0 innings, averaged 4.4 bases on balls
per 9 frames...Had 50 strikeouts for an average of 7.1 K's per 9 innings.
PIT-STOP IN PORTLAND: Made one start for Double-A Portland after being optioned from Boston
on August 23...Earned the win on August 27 vs. Trenton after allowing just one run on 5 hits in
6.0 innings...Lowered his career ERA with Portland to 2.57, surpassing Marc Valdes (2.59 from
1995-96) for the lowest career mark in franchise history...Was his first Double-A start since winning
Game 1 of the EL Championship Series for Portland on September 2, 2005 at Akron.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS: Made his first career major league relief appearance in the final game of
the regular season, September 30 vs. Minnesota, tossing 2.0 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts...
Struck out a season-high 9 batters over 4.1 innings on
September 26 vs. Oakland, one shy of his career high...
Became just the 2nd Red Sox pitcher since 1957 to record
9 or more strikeouts in a start of less than 5.0 innings,
joining Hideo Nomo (9 K's in 4.2 IP on August
6, 2001 vs. Texas)...Allowed one run on 3 hits over 6.2
innings on September 18 at Toronto, but took a nodecision
in Boston's 4-3 loss...Won his 3rd straight start
with 7.0 shutout innings of 4-hit ball on September 7
in Baltimore...The 7.0 innings matched his season high
(also August 14 vs. Tampa Bay) and marked his longest
shutout performance since 8.0 scoreless innings on July
18, 2006 vs. Kansas City (1 H)...Was a 3-2 winner over
the Orioles on September 2 at Fenway Park, allowing
just 2 runs on 6 hits over 6.0 innings...Allowed just one
run on 2 hits over 7.0 innings on August 14 vs. Tampa
Bay, but took a no-decision in Boston's 2-1, walk-off
win...Retired his final 12 batters faced...Was his first
start at Fenway Park since August 18, 2006 vs. the Yankees...
Was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on July 23
for his first major league stint of 2007...Earned the win
that night in Cleveland, his first big league win since
August 23, 2006 in Anaheim...Gave up 2 runs on 5 hits
in 6.0 innings, walking 3 and striking out 6 in Boston's
6-2 win...Both runs came on a Grady Sizemore homer in the 3rd inning.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH PAWTUCKET: Held International League batters to a .250 average, including
identical .250 marks to righties (49-196) and lefties (18-72)...Posted a 1.26 ERA (4 ER/28.2
IP) in his first 6 Triple-A starts through June 4, but had a 5.65 ERA (27 ER/43.0 IP) in his last 8
starts...Had 51 strikeouts and 31 walks in 71.2 Triple-A innings...Won 3 of his last 4 Triple-A starts,
posting a 4.12 ERA (11 ER/24.0 IP) in that span.
CAREER NOTES
SUMMARY: The winning pitcher in Boston's 2007 decisive Game 4 World Series victory at Colorado,
Lester successfully completed his comeback from a battle with lymphoma during the previous
offseason...Spent the majority of the 2nd half of 2007 with Boston, but also had stints with 3 of
the Sox' minor league affiliates while working his way back from treatments.
WINNING WAYS: Including a 4-0 record in 2007, is unbeaten in his last 15 major league games (14
starts) beginning August 13, 2006, going 6-0 with a 5.40 ERA (46 ER/76.2 IP)...Is 11-2 (.846) in 27
career big league games (26 starts), the highest winning percentage in Red Sox history among
pitchers with at least 25 starts...Has not suffered a loss since August 8, 2006 at Kansas City...Has
taken a no-decision in 13 of his 26 major league starts.
IN THE POSTSEASON: Appeared in 3 post-season games (one start) for the Red Sox in 2007, including
the start and win in the decisive Game 4 of the World Series at Colorado on October
28...Tossed 5.2 shutout innings in that contest, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts...
Became the 4th straight Red Sox starter to win a game in the World Series...Marked his first start
since September 26 and his first win since September 7.
Combined with 3.0 scoreless relief innings in Game 4 of the ALCS at Cleveland, Lester worked
8.2 shutout innings with just 4 hits allowed in his final 2 post-season outings...Was touched for 2
runs, including a home run, in 0.2 innings in his post-season debut in Game 2 of the ALCS, October
13 at Fenway Park...Was eligible for the ALDS but did not pitch.
2006
SUMMARY: Saw his stellar rookie season cut short after being diagnosed with a treatable form
of anaplastic large cell lymphoma in late August...went 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts with the
Red Sox after his June 10 call-up from Triple-A Pawtucket...despite only 15 starts and 81.1 innings,
tied for fourth among A.L. rookies with seven wins...became the first Red Sox rookie to win seven games
since Ken Ryan and Aaron Sele in 1993, the first to win seven starts since Sele went 7-2 in 1993...after
undergoing treatment, was pronounced cancer-free in December.
A 5-0 START: Became the first Red Sox rookie left-handed pitcher in club history to win his first five
decisions, securing his fifth win with a 1-0 win July 18 vs. Kansas City...was the first Red Sox rookie
overall to win his first five decisions since Aaron Sele won his first six decisions in 1993...in his big-league debut at Fenway Park June 10, recorded a no-decision in Boston's 7-4 loss to Texas...his
debut, originally scheduled to be in the first game of a day-night DH, was delayed 4 hours, 47
minutes due to rain (second game was PPD)...earned his first win June 16 in Atlanta, defeating Tim
Hudson, 4-1...limited the Braves to one run on five hits and three walks in 6.0 innings, fanning 5...at 22
years, 160 days of age, became the youngest Red Sox starter to win a game since Juan Pena on
May 14, 1999 vs. Anaheim (21 years, 321 days)...became the first Sox pitcher with 10 strikeouts
in a game in 2006 en route to a 9-3 win vs. Washington on June 21, his first win at Fenway...was
the first Sox rookie to strike out 10 since Casey Fossum on Sept. 18, 2002 vs. Cleveland...did
not suffer his first big-league loss until his 10th start July 28 vs. the Angels...won his final start on
Aug. 23 at Angel Stadium before being placed on the disabled list Aug. 28.
ONE-HIT WONDER: On July 18, tossed 8.0 innings and combined with Jonathan Papelbon (1.0 IP)
to one-hit the Royals in a 1-0 win at Fenway Park...Mark Teahen accounted for Kansas City's lone
hit in the second inning, a clean single to center field...was Boston's first one-hitter since June 14,
2005 vs. Cincinnati when David Wells (7.0 IP), Mike Timlin (1.0 IP) and Keith Foulke (1.0 IP) turned
the trick...Lester was the first Red Sox rookie to start a one-hitter since Billy Rohr tossed a one-hit
shutout April 14, 1967 at Yankee Stadium.
YOUNG GUNS: Lester and Papelbon were the first Sox rookies to combine on a shutout since
Dana Kiecker (8.0 IP) and Jeff Gray (1.0 IP) on Aug. 24, 1990, a 2-0 win at Toronto...was the first
combined one-hitter by Major League rookies since May 25, 1979 by the White Sox' Ross Baumgarten
(8.0 IP, 1 H) and Randy Scarbery (1.0 IP) in a 6-1 win vs. the Angels.
WITH PAWTUCKET: Made the jump to the Majors with only 11 Triple-A starts under his belt,
going 3-4 with a 2.70 ERA (14 ER/46.2 IP) for Pawtucket...at the time of his call-up, would have
ranked 10th in the league in ERA if he had enough innings to qualify...allowed one earned run
or less in each of his final six starts, going 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA (3 ER/30.0 IP)...foes batted just .094
(5-for-53) with runners in scoring position.
2005
SUMMARY: After posting an 11-6 record, a league-leading 2.61 ERA and a league-best
163 strikeouts for Double-A Portland, was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year and
Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year...was selected as the left-handed pitcher on the
Eastern League's year-end All-Star team and on the year-end Topps Double-A All-Star
squad...also earned mid-season All-Star honors, but did not appear in the game...was
named Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month in both June and July, going 3-1 with
a 1.69 ERA (6 ER/32.0 IP) in 6 starts in June and 2-2 with a 1.54 ERA (4 ER/23.1 IP)
in 4 starts in July.
LEADER IN THE FARM: Ranked first in the organization with his 163 strikeouts and first
among full-season pitchers with his 2.61 ERA...was one of 3 Sox farmhands with an
organization-best 11 wins, joining Pawtucket's Abe Alvarez and Tim Kester.
INNINGS EATER: Pitched a career-high 148.1 innings over 26 starts...tossed 3 complete games, including a pair of 7-inning complete-game efforts...his 9-inning complete
game was August 1 vs. New Britain, a 4-2 win...the pair of 7-inning gems came May 29
at Norwich and July 11 at New Hampshire.
"K" MAN: Struck out 163 in 148.1 innings to average 9.9 K's per 9 innings pitched...fanned
a career-best 13 in his 7-inning complete game July 11 at New Hampshire...the 13-K
effort was the 4th performance of 10 or more strikeouts in a string of 5 starts...started
with a pair of 10-strikeouts efforts June 19 vs. Erie and June 24 at Norwich...following a
5-punchout game June 30 vs. Altoona, fanned 12 July 5 at Trenton and then 13 July
11...overall, had 50 strikeouts in 29.0 innings during that span, an average of 15.5 K's
per 9 innings.
IN THE POSTSEASON: Started Game 1 of both the Northern Division Championship
Series vs. Trenton and Eastern League Championship Series vs. Akron...in a 5-3 Sea
Dogs win vs. Trenton September 7, did not figure in the decision despite allowing only 2
runs on 4 hits in 7.0 innings, striking out 9...earned a 6-4 win vs. Akron September 13,
allowing 3 runs (one earned) on 4 hits in 6.0 innings, fanning 6.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Held the opposition to a .215 batting average, including a .199
mark by righthanders and a .255 mark by lefties...of his 10 home runs allowed, just one
came off the bat of a lefthander...after going 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA (12 ER/19.0 IP) in 4
April starts, went 10-6 with a 2.09 ERA (30 ER/129.1 IP) in 22 starts the rest of the
way...tossed at least 6.0 innings in 15 of his 26 starts...14 of his 26 starts were "quality
starts"...from the 6th inning on, posted a 0.68 ERA (2 ER/26.1 IP)...had a 2.95 ERA (40
ER/122.0 IP) in innings one through 5...72 percent of the outs he recorded came via the
strikeout or the ground out (163 strikeouts, 146 ground ball outs and 123 fly ball
outs)...figured in only 2 decisions in his first 8 starts, going 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA (17 ER/45/1 IP) in that span...then earned the win in 4 straight starts May 29-June 14, posting
a 2.25 ERA (6 ER/24.0 IP) during that time...in back-to-back wins July 5 at Trenton and
July 11 at New Hampshire, tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in both outings and had a
conbined 25 strikeouts...in his final 2 regular-season outings, went 2-0 with a combined
13.0 shutout innings, 4 hits allowed, 12 strikeouts and 2 walks.
2004
Went 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) for Single-A Sarasota...struck out 97 in 90.1 innings, an average of 9.7 K's per 9 innings...held opponents to a .244
average...in his first start April 10 vs. Fort Myers, allowed 3 runs on 9 hits in 4.0
innings...then allowed 9 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while not recording an out in his only
relief appearance of the year April 15 vs. Tampa...followed that outing by going 3-0 with
a 0.59 ERA (2 ER/30.1 IP) in his next 4 starts...posted the first double-digit strikeout
game of his career, fanning 10 May 23 vs. Lakeland.
2003
Appeared in 24 games (21 starts) for Single-A Augusta, going 6-9 with a 3.65 ERA...was 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA (5 ER/24.1 IP) in 5 April starts to earn Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month honors...following an 0-2 mark and a 6.00 ERA (14 ER/21.0 IP) in 5 starts in May, went 1-3 in 5 June starts but posted a 1.46 ERA (4 ER/24.2 IP)
in that span.
2002
Started one game after being selected in the 2nd round of the First-Year Player Draft, taking the loss August 23 vs. the Gulf Coast League Rangers after allowing 6 runs (one earned) on 5 hits and a walk in 0.2 inning...participated in the Fall Instructional League following the season.
