Jon Lester’s trade out of Boston closed his eight-season run as a member of the Red Sox’ starting rotation. Lester made quite a mark here as a member of two World Series-winning teams and having thrown a no-hitter.
Look back on some of the memorable moments in his Red Sox tenure:
June 2002: Red Sox draft Lester in the second round out of Bellarmine High in Tacoma, Wash.
June 2006: Lester, 22, makes his Red Sox debut and opens his career with a 5-0 mark in his first eight starts.
September 2006: The Red Sox announce that Lester will begin treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer.
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July 2007: Lester returns after completing cancer treatment and earns a win, throwing six innings against Cleveland.
October 2007: Lester earns the victory in the World Series title-clinching win at Colorado. “A year ago, I wasn’t even playing baseball,” Lester said. “My season got cut short. And now to be here in this situation, this is a dream come true.”
May 2008: Lester throws a no-hitter against the Royals in a 7-0 win at Fenway Park.
March 2009: Lester reaches a long-term contract with the Red Sox that will keep him in Boston until 2014.
July 2010: Lester was named an All-Star for the first time. Lester took an 11-3 record with a 2.77 ERA into the All-Star Game.
November 2010: Lester finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting behind winner Felix Hernandez, David Price, and CC Sabathia after going 19-9 with a 3.25 ERA in 32 starts.
April 2011: Lester made his first Opening Day start for the Red Sox, throwing 5⅓ innings in a 9-5 loss at Texas.
July 2011: Lester, with a 10-4 record and on a Red Sox team with an AL-best 55-35 mark, is named to the All-Star team again.
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September 2011: Lester was at the forefront of a Red Sox team that collapsed down the stretch amid a 7-20 run. After the season, Lester would admit to drinking beer in the clubhouse during games, but denied that played a role in the team’s demise.
October 2012: Lester closed the worst season of his career with a 9-14 record. His final start, a 4-3 loss at the Yankees, came amid the Red Sox’ 8-game skid to end the team’s 69-93 season - the franchise’s worst since 1965.
October 2013: Lester won both games he started in the World Series vs. the Cardinals in helping the Red Sox to their second title in seven seasons.
July 2014: Lester is named to the All-Star team for a third time. Though he has a record of just 9-7, Lester had a dominating first half of the season with an ERA of 2.65 at the break.