Jon Lester’s Ridiculous Playoff Moments
This is why the Chicago Cubs signed Jon Lester, for moments like these. Sure he was solid through 162 games, raking up 205 innings and 207 strikeouts, but his track record in the playoffs is what the Cubs opened their checkbooks for.
Just how good is Lester in the playoffs? His first start in the playoffs wasn’t even suppose to happen. With 144 career innings to his name, the Boston Red Sox needed someone to spot start game 5 of the 2007 World Series. They turned to Jon Lester, giving him the ball in what would be his first ever playoff start, against Colorado who just so happened to be the most feared offensive team of that season. The Rockies were treated that day by Lester, who dazzled a lineup that consisted of four players with at least 24 home runs. He went on to pitch 5 2/3rds of three hit shutout ball in the championship clinching game.
The legend was born.
Perhaps the most defining moment of the game was when Lester faced off against then Rockies (now Cardinals) slugger, Matt Holliday. Holliday had put up MVP caliber numbers in 2007, including a .340/.405/.607 slash line. Lester attacked Holliday from the get-go, mostly with fastballs, and won.
“There’s no stage that’s big enough unless they start making a league on the moon that has a bigger stage,” special assistant to the general manager, and an ex-teammate of Lester’s Ryan Dempster said. “(Lester) has been on the biggest stage of all.”
Lester has appeared in 14 postseason games, and started all but two of them. His 6-4 record with a 2.57 ERA speaks to only half of Lester’s postseason success. Andrew Felpner of Baseball Prospectus wrote about Lester’s brilliant performance in the playoffs recently.
BP simply illistrated, like Derek Jeter has often said, postseason legends are created because the player is able to replicate regular season performance in a playoff game. While Lester’s performance is considered great, he has been wildly successful in the postseason because he can perform like it is a regular season game.
This ability comes from his preperation. Not only is he focused in the postseason, he readies himself all season long as if his first, second, or 23rd start is a playoff game.
“Jon is a competitor who always is going to be focused, and he’ll get mad when he’s not doing well,” said another old teammate Kevin Youkilis, a scouting and player development consultant with the Cubs. “When he’s doing right, he is that prototypical guy I’m talking about.
“And that’s why he has had so much success in the postseason. He prepares every day as if it’s the postseason. If you have that attitude (and) that approach, whether you’re a hitter or pitcher or running the bases, that’s how you succeed in the postseason.”
This has been Jon’s approach all season, and throughout his career, and it has served himself and the team well. While some may point to his inability to hold a 7-3 lead last season when pitching against Kansas City in the playoffs, his complete resume shows that was an oddity in an otherwise phenomenal playoff record.
When Lester takes the mound tonight against another former teammate, John Lackey, expect to see a great pitching performance. Jon has proven that should be the case.
Source: Baseball Prospectus – Wrigleyville, Chicago Tribune
