(Chicago) Jon Lester, a durable southpaw who won three World Series in a 16-year career, has announced his retirement.
Posted at 11:49 am
Lester, who turned 38 on Friday, ended his career 200-117 with a 3.66 earned-run average in 452 games, including 451 starts. He was also a very reliable pitcher in the playoffs, posting a 2.51 ERA in 26 games.
The six-foot-four helped the Boston Red Sox win the 2007 and 2013 championships, in addition to participating in the Chicago Cubs’ first World Series conquest in 108 years, in 2016.
Lester has told ESPN that it is becoming more and more physically difficult for him to keep in peak form. He didn’t want to wait for someone other than himself to tell him that he couldn’t do the job anymore.
A second-round pick in the 2002 Draft by the Red Sox, he established himself in the Majors in 2006 and was invited to the All-Star game five times.
His first season in the Majors was cut short after being diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. After chemotherapy, he returned to the MLB in 2007.
He got his 200e victory in the uniform of the St. Louis Cardinals, in a six-innings performance in a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on September 20.