Working on the Craft: Jon Lester Throws a No-Hitter

"It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready."

~ The Old Man and the Sea
~ Ernest Hemingway


The crossroads of exactness and luck were found at the corner of Van Ness and Yawkey Way this evening as Jon Lester became the first left-handed pitcher to throw a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox in over half a century.

To throw a no-hitter involves a healthy dose of luck, as they are usually accompanied by at least one tremendous play on defense. This evening's highlight reel play was provided early in the game as center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a diving catch of a line drive by Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals. But stunning defensive plays are turned in regularly across a night's schedule of major league games while a no-hitter tends to be an annual event at best. So while a no-hitter may contain a dose of luck, the remainder of the recipe calls for exactness.

Jon Lester, cancer survivor (and pitcher)

Jon Lester was drafted in the second round of the 2002 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox. He progressed through the Red Sox minor league system in impressive fashion and made his major league debut in 2006 on June 10th in a start against the Texas Rangers. He struggled, throwing 102 pitches and not making it out of the fifth inning, and the Red Sox lost the game. He then reeled off five wins in a row, culminating in an 8 inning, 1 hit gem against the Kansas City Royals.

As the season wore on he began to feel discomfort in his back, originally attributing it to the grind of baseball's grueling season. After being rear-ended on his way to Fenway Park on August 18th, Lester's back became even more problematic. He made his last start of 2006 on August 24th and on the following weekend visited his doctor in Seattle where, at the age of 22, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Baseball took a back seat to survival for close to a year as the pitcher went through several rounds of chemotherapy before being declared cancer-free and then began a tedious rehab program to rebuild his strength. He returned to action in a start against the Cleveland Indians on July 23rd of 2007 (earning a win), but wouldn't see a regular spot in the Red Sox rotation until September. As the Red Sox progressed in the playoffs last season, Lester would make key contributions, appearing in relief in the AL Championship Series against the Indians and starting and winning the clinching game 4 of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies.

Jon Lester, pitcher (and cancer survivor)

In preparing for the 2008 season, with cancer and rebuilding from it behind him, Lester was able to focus on the craft with Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. A key phrase in Lester's early career was "pitch efficiency". He would often find himself unable to make it through the sixth inning of a start as in the course of his attack of the hitters, too many of his bullets found their way outside of the strike zone.

Another aspect that Lester and Farrell (and catcher Jason Varitek) would examine was his pace. They felt Lester was delaying too much between pitches and that by quickening the pace, hitters would be more on their heels and the defense behind him sharper.

Lester also found himself during the off-season to be the center of trade speculation concerning a proposed deal between the Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Johan Santana. ESPN Magazine quoted an anonymous AL scout as saying "Jon Lester is a back-of-the-rotation guy. If he was the difference between getting Johna Santana or not, they made a mistake."

Jon Lester ignored the speculation and focused instead on his craft - increasing his velocity and command back to his pre-cancer levels and incorporating the advice from John Farrell.

Signs of Lester's focus and effort would be seen in his April 29th start against Toronto. Working at a quickened pace and firing first-pitch strikes to 15 of 27 batters, Lester threw 8 innings allowing only 1 hit.

On May 19th against the Kansas City Royals, Jon Lester would put all the pieces together and earn an honored spot in the Major League record books. Again working quickly and throwing a mix of electric fastballs and curveballs, Lester hurled first-pitch stikes to 20 of 29 batters and allowed only two base-runners the entire night, both on walks. After the final out and with the no-hitter secured, his teammates mobbed him on the field in celebration.

Jon Lester overcame tremendous obstacles to get back on the field, but once he returned he did not allow what happened to him to define him. He went to work on his craft, improving both the basics and the subtleties, working hard to be exact. And when luck turned in Jon Lester's favor, he was ready.