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Red Sox: The five biggest moments of Jon Lester’s career in Boston

By Brendan Mizgala

BOSTON, MA - JULY 20: Jon Lester #31 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after walking a man in the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on July 20, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 20: Jon Lester #31 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after walking a man in the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on July 20, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox Jon Lester
BOSTON – MAY 19: Jon Lester #31 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after throwing a no hitter against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on May 19, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

Jon Lester throws another Red Sox no-hitter

For a period of time, it wasn’t a shock to see a Red Sox pitcher toss a no-hitter. While Jason Varitek was the backstop of the club he managed to catch a record of four no-hitters. In 2008, Jon Lester added his name to Varitek’s growing list in what would be notch number four on the belt. This was also Jon’s first full season and he didn’t disappoint whatsoever.

In this day and age, a pitcher’s record isn’t as important but I can’t gloss over his 16-6 tally for Boston that season. He’d also finish the season with a 3.21 ERA through 210 1/3 innings of work. He’d also improve his K/BB ratio up to 2.30 while also leading the American League with a pair of shutouts.

Kansas City was in town on this May evening and boy was the southpaw feeling it. Varitek helped Lester navigate the waters and kept the young hurler cool, calm, and collected throughout the night.

He would sit down nine Royals on the night while allowing just a pair to get on base thanks to the free pass. Just think about that. He was two walks away from a perfect game, damn.

With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, he was able to get Alberto Callaspo to swing and miss to seal the deal and complete the no-hitter. In an instant, he threw his hands into the air in elation as Varitek charged the mound to celebrate.

The most emotional part of the night was seeing Terry Francona, with his eyes full of tears, hug his young pitcher and some words of pride. It was an absolutely beautiful thing to see from the first pitch to the final out.

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