Jon Lester
Jon Lester
Jonathan Tyler Lesteris an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox from 2006 to 2014 and the Oakland Athletics in 2014. Less than two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, Lester started and won the final game of the 2007 World Series for the Red Sox, and in May 2008, pitched a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth7 January 1984
CountryUnited States of America
Don't get me wrong: I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Even the word 'cancer' brings back the nausea and pain, the fear I felt, and the heartbreak I saw in my parents' faces. The smells that fill hospitals and the constant tired feeling that comes with treatment are also permanently stuck in my memory.
There's only certain things you can control. I know how hard I work, I know how I take care of myself, and those are the two things I can control. As far as injuries and wear and tear and stuff like that, it's going to happen.
Growing up, it was mainly just players I followed more than teams, with the exception of the Mariners. I never really had time to follow a team throughout a season.
One thing I know in baseball is you should never be comfortable where you are. It doesn't matter who you are. It's a business. If I got traded tomorrow, no hard feelings; it's a business.
My dad has ingrained that in me: 'Be accountable.'
You can learn a lot from him. He's a vocal guy anyway. Whenever we're talking about drills and certain things, he's going to tell you what he thinks. Just watching him go about his business, he does it the right way. He does it professionally and gets his work in.
It was nice to get the first one out of the way. I've thrown off that mound and I felt pretty comfortable.
No matter what you do in the offseason, you can't simulate putting spikes on and standing in the grass and being around your teammates. When you're around your teammates, you step it up a notch. It's just kind of instinctive you do that.
It's getting better. I'm starting to feel a little more consistent with everything. It's coming around, slowly but surely.
The two biggest things that translate from the pitching mound to hunting and fishing are patience and perseverance. When you're on the mound, you have to take the game one pitch at a time, regardless of the score, and that approach helps when I'm in the woods or on the water as well.
Usually during the regular season, if you're starting pitcher, you're kind of walking back and forth from the clubhouse to the dugout and not really paying attention to what's going on.
The Red Sox believe what's written. If it's written that I should be traded, more times than not, that's what ends up happening. Look at the people who've gotten traded around here. It's not their doing.
As I travel the country for away games, I meet kids fighting cancer in almost every city. They visit the ballpark, and I invite them onto the field so we can chat and then watch the game.
That game. The bad one. But you know, all around us, people were talking baseball. What to throw (Hideki) Matsui. Things like that.