12/01/2022
Jon Lester, who was a key member of three World Series championship starting rotations, has retired after a 16-year career in which he established himself as one of the top left-handers of his generation, according to an ESPN.com report on Wednesday.
Lester, who turned 38 on Friday, went 200-117 with a 3.66 ERA in 452 career appearances (451 starts) with the Red Sox, A's, Cubs, Nationals and Cardinals. A five-time All-Star, Lester won World Series titles with Boston in 2007 and '13, and famously helped Chicago end its championship drought in 2016.
"It's kind of run its course," Lester told ESPN.com. "It's getting harder for me physically. The little things that come up throughout the year turned into bigger things that hinder your performance.
"I'd like to think I'm a halfway decent self-evaluator. I don't want someone else telling me I can't do this anymore. I want to be able to hand my jersey over and say, 'Thank you, it's been fun.' That's probably the biggest deciding factor."
Lester showed perhaps even more toughness and determination off the field than on the mound. He was diagnosed with anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma in his rookie season in 2006, and returned to the big leagues in July of the next season, picking up a win over Cleveland in his first game back.
"I was in Triple-A on a rehab assignment in Pawtucket after cancer," Lester told ESPN.com. "My parents were there and they were leaving that day or the next day to go home, and I told them they have to change their flight and I said, 'I'm starting the next night in Cleveland.'
"That's one of the top moments of my career. Seeing their faces was pretty cool. Once I got back to baseball, I tried not to take anything for granted and really appreciated being around the guys."
Two years later at Fenway Park, the then-24-year-old tossed a no-hitter against the Royals, becoming the 18th Red Sox pitcher to complete the feat.
Lester picked up his 200th and final win on Sept. 20 in Milwaukee after allowing just two runs and three hits in six innings.