Jon Lester: Sports' Feel-Good Story of the Year

by Gadzooks

Posted from TheFourthOut.com

It was a quality start, in the finest possible sense.

Yes, Jon Lester threw six solid innings for the Red Sox, giving up only a two-run homer to Grady Sizemore, and Boston beat Cleveland, 6-2.

Now, throw in the fact that Lester was diagnosed not 11 months ago with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphona, and you begin to see the true quality of the appearance.

Lester's comeback from the Big C – culminating last night in front of 32,439 appreciative Indians (and Sox) fans – was gusty, gritty, and one that few will ever forget. With one otherwise-nothing-special regular season win, Lester has become the best story in sports right now, bar none.

The 23-year-old from Tacoma, Washington, was given the grim news last September, and he immediately began a rigorous regiment of six chemotherapy treatments that busted the disease to smithereens. He's been middling away in AAA Pawtucket most of the season, going 4-5 with a 3.89 ERA. Opponents were hitting .250 against him, and he had 51 strikeouts in 71.2 innings, so he was doing alright but nothing special, at least in newspaper boxscores. But as we all know, they never tell the whole story.

Even aside from the heartwarming backstory, Lester's season debut was a good night for a Major League pitcher by any measure. He threw 55 of 96 pitches for strikes and the homer to Sizemore is nothing to be ashamed of, for sure. Unfortunately, the Sox may not have a spot for him in the rotation, what with Curt Schilling coming off the DL soon and Kason Gabbard having pitched his way into the rotation at this point.

No matter what, though, Lester has proved he's a winner. Said the victorious hurler after the game:

> "Hopefully we can put it behind us . . . and . . . just go out pitching. Not to be able to worry about anything."

You and us both, brother.