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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Maybe that’s why after demolishing a two-seam fastball from Minnesota’s Lance Lynn for a three-run homer on Sunday, he took an extra second to admire his work before it landed in the bleachers. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to raise his average.
Remember, he made dubious history by not collecting a hit until his 67th at-bat, an MLB record. The above home run comes in his 197th career at-bat, 236th plate appearance and 12th season in the majors. The Cubs are back to looking like the team that won their historic World Series title last season, leading the NL Central by 2.5 games. And moments like Jon Lester hitting a home run — which is crazy — will only give the Cubs more momentum. Back in 2014, when the Chicago Cubs were trying to woo free agent Jon Lester, general manager Jed Hoyer had a bit of a cheeky idea for their meeting with the top-end pitcher. Lester, the former Cubs ace in his first season with Washington, tossed seven shutout innings against Miami.
Jon Lester
And there’s certainly no way he forgot about the Cubs’ teasing. Lester does seem to have an edge going into the regular season. "You're coming in and trying to figure out how far from the plate you're supposed to stand and how you're supposed to load and how you're supposed to swing," he said. The difference, Lester said, is that this year he feels more comfortable at the plate. He hasn't hit on a regular basis since his high school days in 2002. As Lester walked back to the dugout, Anthony Rizzo greeted him by pointing up to the sky with both hands -- something a lot of home run hitters do as they cross the plate -- and Lester complied.
But he also came up big at the plate, crushing a two-run home run in the win over the Marlins. Usual suspects Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Josh Bell each added to their yearly totals. Rookie catcher Tres Barrera collected the first long ball of his career. Yet most surprisingly, pitcher Jon Lester got in on the fun with a 419-foot homer to straightaway center field as well. Five different Nationals left the yard in the first five innings of Washington’s series opener with the Miami Marlins on Monday night.
National League
Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. About Baseball Reference Batting Glossary, Pitching Glossary, Wins Above Replacement Explainer, WAR data archive, BR Data Coverage, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, ... MLB Standings AL Standings, NL Standings, Standings for any date in history, ... Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Ross then recalled another offensive highlight of Lester's career, when he delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off bunt against the Mariners in 2016.
Even when pilling up on an opponent — the Cubs scored eight runs in the second inning against the Twins — you never expect a guy like Lester to crank one out of the park. When he does it feel every bit as magical as any other single game achievement. Righty Chad Bettis will start in a Minor League game Thursday. "That's my big thing is making my starts and getting my innings -- that's all I really care about," he said.
The home run came on his 197th at-bat, and he's the 25th lefty with 2,000 Ks in MLB history
He now has five home runs in four games since the All-Star break. Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester accomplished a couple of individual milestones in totally opposite directions on Tuesday night in Wrigley Field against the Diamondbacks. When Lester drove Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin’s fastball over the left-center field wall, he earned his first-career home run, sending Wrigley Field into a frenzy. When Lester joined the Cubs in 2015, he held an 0-for-36 line at the plate with just one career walk to his name. While he's now hitting just .121 in his Cubs career, the 35-year-old has now hit a home run in three-straight seasons.
He’s 10-for-17 with five homers, 11 RBI and eight runs scored in four games since returning from the All-Star break. Chicago Cubs’ Jon Lester hits a three-run home run during an eight-run second inning against the Minnesota Twins. MESA, Ariz. -- The Cubs expect 10 strikeouts from Jon Lester but the lefty added his first professional home run in a 10-0 victory Wednesday over the Rockies' split squad. The 18 runs mark a season high for the Nationals, but it's not even close to the franchise record. Also of note in this game was Juan Soto clubbing a pair of homers. He didn't have quite the first half he wanted to have in terms of power and said he wanted to do the Home Run Derby to help get his power stroke back.
David Ross went 3-for-3 with three doubles and four RBIs, and Kyle Schwarber followed Lester's opposite-field blast with a shot of his own in the win. MLB Scores Yesterday's MLB Games, Scores from any date in Major League history, MLB Probable Pitchers, Baseball-Reference Stream Finder, ... " says, ‘Bunt to win,’ with his picture of him squeezing in the winning run," Ross said with a laugh. Lester’s home run extended Washington’s lead to 12-0, and they added six runs from there in an 18-1 win. So, Ross reached out to his good friend and former battery mate for an update on that old saying.
Meanwhile, Nationals starter Jon Lester was completely dominating the Marlins' offense. He ended up giving up six hits in seven scoreless innings while striking out seven and not walking anyone. It was a vintage Jon Lester performance, with him painting the corners and keeping the ball down in the zone all night. Alcides Escobar led off with a single and then scored on a Trea Turner triple. Then Juan Soto and Josh Bell hit back-to-back homers and it was 4-0 before the Marlins even recorded an out. The Nationals then got six runs the next inning and it was already a double-digit lead through two innings.
July 25, 2011 Boston Red Sox activated LHP Jon Lester from the 15-day disabled list. August 18, 2017 Chicago Cubs placed LHP Jon Lester on the 10-day disabled list. "It just makes everybody better," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of Soto. "It picks everybody up. And it stretches out our lineup tremendously. He’s swinging the bat well, and he’s hitting the ball all over the field very hard." The left-hander became the oldest pitcher to hit a home run since Bartolo Colon did it at the age of 42 when he was playing for the New York Mets against the San Diego Padres in May 2016, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Not only did Lester get it done at the plate, he handled business on the mound too. The veteran lefty tossed seven innings of scoreless baseball, allowing six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in easily his best performance of the season. Rockies starter David Hale, who was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque last Friday, gave up three runs -- one earned -- on five hits and one walk over 2 2/3 innings. Mark Reynolds had two hits for the Rockies, raising his spring average to .341.
Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News Digital.
David Ross remembered an old saying former Cubs pitchers Jon Lester and John Lackey used to share. Jon Lester hitting a home run is clearly the story here, but we really can’t overlook how the bullpen reacted to the dinger. September 2, 2017 Chicago Cubs activated LHP Jon Lester from the 10-day injured list. April 10, 2019 Chicago Cubs placed LHP Jon Lester on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 9, 2019. April 30, 2021 Washington Nationals activated LHP Jon Lester from the 10-day injured list. October 6, 2021 St. Louis Cardinals reassigned LHP Jon Lester to the minor leagues.
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