No one more deserving

May 19, 2008

How unbelievable! How amazing! How deserving!

Jon Lester just pitched both the first no-hitter and the first complete game of his career 18 months after being diagnosed with cancer, 6 months after pitching the winning game of the World Series. Incredible.

I watched the game from the seventh inning on because I was visiting my mom in the hospital earlier, and at that point in the game he looked fresh, composed, calm – all while knowing he was pitching a no-hitter. It was unbelievable.

This was the eleventh no-hitter at Fenway Park, the ninth by a Red Sox pitcher, the fifth by a lefty, the first by a cancer survivor.

This was the fourth no-hitter that Jason Varitek caught with four
different pitchers (Nomo ’01, Lowe ’02, Bucholz ’07, Lester ’08). 

This was the second no-hitter against the Royals. The other belongs to Nolan Ryan.

This was the best no-hitter story.

This was the most deserving pitcher.

Imagine lying in a hospital bed, facing your own mortality, letting poison drip into your body and hoping it will only kill the malignant cells, then imagine waiting around all winter hearing your name thrown around in trade talks after pitching the winning game of a World Series, and then imagine standing on the mound months later at Fenway Park throwing a no-hitter with 130 pitches, 86 of them strikes, and only requiring one pretty decent catch to preserve it.

When asked how it felt after his tough year last year, the first thing Lester responded with was, “Well, I thought I threw the ball pretty well last year,” not even thinking that the reporter would be talking about coming back from cancer.

As Tito put it, “To watch him do that tonight was beyond words.”

I have a picture of Jon Lester next to my mirror, so that I remember every morning when I get ready for school that you never know when something bad will happen to you. The picture of Jon Lester is from his press conference after being diagnosed with cancer. He’s looking off to the distance, his mouth hard and set, his eyes firm and strong, ready to fight. He reminds me every morning to fight and to live and to enjoy the moments when I can do what I want without the fear of the end of my life looming above me or a prolonged hospital stay scheduled for the next week or people trying to comfort you with no idea what you’re going through. It’s going to be even more special to look at that picture now and remember that a person can come back no matter how hard it seems.

Jon Lester. No-hitter against the Kansas City Royals. May 19th, 2008.

Another Red Sox Classic.

Written by iluvctek Posted in Dailies