Jon Lester stepped up when it mattered the most while with the Red Sox
On Wednesday, former Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester announced his retirement from the game of baseball. The former three-time World Series champion will walk away from the sport as a 200 game-winner that spanned over a 16-year career.
"It's kind of run its course," Lester said. "It's getting harder for me physically. The little things that come up throughout the year turned into bigger things that hinder your performance.
“I'd like to think I'm a halfway decent self-evaluator. I don't want someone else telling me I can't do this anymore. I want to be able to hand my jersey over and say, 'Thank you, it's been fun.' That's probably the biggest deciding factor."
The 38-year-old dominated during the postseason, stepping up when it mattered the most.
During the postseason, Lester was 4-1 in the World Series with a 1.77 ERA over 35 ⅔ innings.
That included starting the clinching Game 4 of the World Series in Colorado, tossing 5 ⅔ scoreless innings back in 2007.
Lester dazzled for Boston in the playoffs pitching to a 2.11 ERA, 68 strikeouts in 76 ⅔ innings over 13 games. He was 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA in his five starts during the 2013 World Series run.
Red Sox fans were lucky to have been able to watch Lester pitch in Boston. He was a big game pitcher, he was special to Red Sox fans.
Those same fans were there for his return from fighting cancer to his no-hitter against the Royals in 2008. He was beloved by all on and off the field.
“What a career for Jon Lester. Always felt like you wanted him on the mound for a big game. So many great memories over the years. Best in your next chapter my friend,” said former Red Sox announcer Don Orsillo on Twitter.
The debate will begin as to whether or not Lester is a future Hall-of-Fame inductee. Whether or not he gets in, fans in Boston will be forever thankful for Lester.
"The thing I'm most proud of is I took the ball every five days," Lester said. "That was the biggest thing for me. I always heard 'be relied upon' when I was younger. Whatever the outcome was, they knew they could count on me to take the ball."
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