Unfortunately for Gabe Kapler, his Greenville Drive team couldn’t get him the win as they lost 1-0 to the Charleston RiverDogs 1-0 in 10 innings. But that wasn’t the biggest story to come out of the game. It was Jon Lester’s return to game action.
Lester had been out since August after he was diagnosed with cancer. He may not have pitched in a big league game but it was a real game that counted and meant something. From all accounts, Lester looked great. He threw 4 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out five RiverDogs. At one point, he hit 96 MPH on the radar gun.
He is scheduled to make 3 more starts for the Drive, who are the Red Sox single A affiliate and then quite possibly could move up to Pawtucket.
“I felt good out there,” he said. “There were a little jitters, but overall I was feeling really good. I’m about as close as you can get to feeling 100 percent.”
“Everything’s coming around,” Lester said. “It’s just a matter of repetition and getting those innings built up.”
“I would like to return [to Boston] tomorrow. We’ll have to sit down and see where we are. Hopefully, in four starts I’ll be in [Triple-A] Pawtucket or Boston.”
Obviously this is great news for Jon and the Red Sox. His next big battle withe the doctor will come when he goes in for his next checkup at the end of the month to see if he is still cancer free. In the meantime, he will next start for Greenville on Tuesday.
If he continues to keep pitching well, what will the Red Sox do with him. Obviously if Julian Tavarez doesn’t have success starting Lester could fill his role when he has built back up his stamina and arm strength. But what happens if Tavarez pitches well. Do they leave Lester in the minors even if he should be in Boston?
Lester proved he belonged in Boston last year posting a 7-2 record with a 4.76 ERA before being diagnosed with the cancer. All I can say if it was me pulling the strings, I’d rather have a healthy Lester over Tavarez any day of the week.
