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Sox Win Fourth Straight As Lester No-Hits Royals, 7-0
By Administrator | May 20, 2008
After tonight’s game, Jon Lester said he wasn’t sure which was bigger — pitching the World Series clincher last fall or throwing the no-hitter tonight.
Tough call… wouldn’t it be nice to have such problems?
This evening at Fenway Park, the 24-year-old southpaw no-hit the Kansas City Royals, 7-0. It was the first no-hitter in the major leagues since teammate Clay Buchholz threw one last September — on the same mound.
Lester (3-2) allowed just two baserunners in the game — a walk to Billy Butler in the second inning and another to Esteban German to open the ninth. He struck out nine, including Alberto Callaspo to end the game.
After the final out was recorded but before he left the field, Lester shared a lengthy embrace with manager Terry Francona… the two men had a private talk in the most public of places. In his post-game press conference, Lester said: “I’ve been through a lot the last couple of years. (Terry’s) been like a second dad to me. It was just a special moment right there”.
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Of Lester, Francona said: “He’s a wonderful kid, not because he threw a no-hitter. He’s a good kid because he’s a good kid. We’re proud of him all the time, but to watch him do that tonight was beyond words. I tried to put it into words but it’s hard because — what a story”.
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The Red Sox offense exploded for five runs in the third inning. The inning started with a pair of singles and a double play… that was followed by a triple, three walks, an error and a ground-rule double.
In the sixth inning, Jason Varitek hit a two-run home run to conclude the scoring.
Sox hitters managed only five hits in six innings off Royals starter Luke Hochevar (3-3), but they drew six walks.
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Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a brilliant diving catch to end the fourth inning — the best defensive play of the night.
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Tomorrow night, Justin Masterson will get his second major league start against the Royals… he will be opposed by Kansas City ace Gil Meche.
While I don’t expect him to throw another two-hit, one-run masterpiece, I would not be surprised to see him throw another gem (that means a ‘quality start’, at the very least). I know he has struggled since returning to the minor leagues after his major league debut last month, but once you have faced Vladimir Guerrero it takes awhile to get mentally adjusted to facing Double-A batters again.
The bottom line is this: he has FANTASTIC ’stuff’, an excellent approach on the mound, and a great head on his shoulders. He is going to be a tremendous major league pitcher — take that to the bank!
Tomorrow night he will be back on a big league mound. He will be at Fenway Park facing major league hitters in front of 38,000 fans. He will be focused and he will be aggressive. Put this one in the win column — you can take that to the bank (NOTE: I don’t expect the bullpen to blow another start on him)
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
