Jon Lester has decided to call it quits. The star left-hander announced his retirement from baseball yesterday after a 16-year career.
Over the course of his career, Lester had many accomplishments, including a no-hitter, 200 career wins, and three World Series rings. But there’s one accolade that stands above all for Lester.
Not only was he a star pitcher, but he also beat cancer. Lester was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2006 and missed a significant amount of time. This type of lymphoma was rare, but Lester battled back and ultimately won his first start since being diagnosed when he returned in July of 2007 to beat the Indians.
To go off of that accomplishment, Lester also played a key role in helping Anthony Rizzo overcome cancer. Rizzo was a prospect within the Red Sox organization at the time, and had noticed that his ankles had begun swelling. That’s when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Then-Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein invited Rizzo into the team’s clubhouse, where he would meet Lester, who immediately took the young prospect under his wing and offered encouragement while he went through chemotherapy.
Rizzo and Lester stayed in close contact throughout the former’s treatment, and Rizzo ultimately overcame his cancer. And in 2015, after Lester had won two rings in Boston, he chose to join Rizzo on the Cubs. That year, the Cubs made it all the way to the NLCS.
But the Cubs were far from through. Lester and Rizzo led Chicago to their first World Series title since 1908 and helped guide the Cubs to the postseason five times. After Lester’s Cubs contract expired at the end of the 2020 season, the left-hander bid farewell to Chicago by treating Cubs fans to drinks at local bars, where all they had to do was say, “Put in on Jon’s tab” and they would get their drinks for free.
Lester signed with the Nationals for the 2021 season and struggled during his time there, going 3-5 with a 5.02 ERA. He was traded to the Cardinals at the trade deadline and played a key role in their record setting 17-game win streak, winning his 200th career game in a start against the Brewers. His final two starts came against the Cubs, one of which was at Wrigley Field.
Now, Lester can sit back, relax, and reflect on what is certainly a Hall-of-Fame worthy career. He more than earned his right to be in Cooperstown, and certainly made his presence felt on every team he was a part of. Lester will go down as one of the best pitchers of all time, and he’ll be remembered for his gutsy performances, competitive spirit, and ability to come up big when needed the most.
For more MLB coverage, click here.
