Cubs Jon Lester hits home run
Table of Content
- MLB Home Runs Hit by Jon Lester | Baseball Almanac
- NFL players who were egregiously snubbed for the 2022 Pro Bowl roster
- NFL picks against the spread, Week 16: Who wins NFC East clash between the Eagles and Cowboys?
- Jon Lester records 2,000th career strikeout, hits first career home run on same day
- What stunning Correa signing means for Mets
- The home run came on his 197th at-bat, and he's the 25th lefty with 2,000 Ks in MLB history
- Orioles acquiring catcher James McCann from Mets
And there’s certainly no way he forgot about the Cubs’ teasing. Lester does seem to have an edge going into the regular season. "You're coming in and trying to figure out how far from the plate you're supposed to stand and how you're supposed to load and how you're supposed to swing," he said. The difference, Lester said, is that this year he feels more comfortable at the plate. He hasn't hit on a regular basis since his high school days in 2002. As Lester walked back to the dugout, Anthony Rizzo greeted him by pointing up to the sky with both hands -- something a lot of home run hitters do as they cross the plate -- and Lester complied.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Maybe that’s why after demolishing a two-seam fastball from Minnesota’s Lance Lynn for a three-run homer on Sunday, he took an extra second to admire his work before it landed in the bleachers. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to raise his average.
MLB Home Runs Hit by Jon Lester | Baseball Almanac
Remember, he made dubious history by not collecting a hit until his 67th at-bat, an MLB record. The above home run comes in his 197th career at-bat, 236th plate appearance and 12th season in the majors. The Cubs are back to looking like the team that won their historic World Series title last season, leading the NL Central by 2.5 games. And moments like Jon Lester hitting a home run — which is crazy — will only give the Cubs more momentum. Back in 2014, when the Chicago Cubs were trying to woo free agent Jon Lester, general manager Jed Hoyer had a bit of a cheeky idea for their meeting with the top-end pitcher. Lester, the former Cubs ace in his first season with Washington, tossed seven shutout innings against Miami.

David Ross remembered an old saying former Cubs pitchers Jon Lester and John Lackey used to share. Jon Lester hitting a home run is clearly the story here, but we really can’t overlook how the bullpen reacted to the dinger. September 2, 2017 Chicago Cubs activated LHP Jon Lester from the 10-day injured list. April 10, 2019 Chicago Cubs placed LHP Jon Lester on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 9, 2019. April 30, 2021 Washington Nationals activated LHP Jon Lester from the 10-day injured list. October 6, 2021 St. Louis Cardinals reassigned LHP Jon Lester to the minor leagues.
NFL players who were egregiously snubbed for the 2022 Pro Bowl roster
"He fell behind, and I was trying to hit a heater," Lester said of the at-bat against Hess. Washington Nationals veteran pitcher Jon Lester isn’t exactly a phenomenon at the plate like Shohei Ohtani, but he provided some power with that bat Monday night against the Miami Marlins. "I try not to read too much into Spring Training, whether it's good or bad," Lester said. "I would've liked to have gotten a couple more innings, but we had some long innings today and that's why they pulled me a little early. Ross doubled to lead off the fourth against Scott Oberg, and Lester then lined a 3-1 fastball to left, which opened a 5-0 lead.
Not only did Lester get it done at the plate, he handled business on the mound too. The veteran lefty tossed seven innings of scoreless baseball, allowing six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in easily his best performance of the season. Rockies starter David Hale, who was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque last Friday, gave up three runs -- one earned -- on five hits and one walk over 2 2/3 innings. Mark Reynolds had two hits for the Rockies, raising his spring average to .341.
NFL picks against the spread, Week 16: Who wins NFC East clash between the Eagles and Cowboys?
But he also came up big at the plate, crushing a two-run home run in the win over the Marlins. Usual suspects Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Josh Bell each added to their yearly totals. Rookie catcher Tres Barrera collected the first long ball of his career. Yet most surprisingly, pitcher Jon Lester got in on the fun with a 419-foot homer to straightaway center field as well. Five different Nationals left the yard in the first five innings of Washington’s series opener with the Miami Marlins on Monday night.
David Ross went 3-for-3 with three doubles and four RBIs, and Kyle Schwarber followed Lester's opposite-field blast with a shot of his own in the win. MLB Scores Yesterday's MLB Games, Scores from any date in Major League history, MLB Probable Pitchers, Baseball-Reference Stream Finder, ... " says, ‘Bunt to win,’ with his picture of him squeezing in the winning run," Ross said with a laugh. Lester’s home run extended Washington’s lead to 12-0, and they added six runs from there in an 18-1 win. So, Ross reached out to his good friend and former battery mate for an update on that old saying.
Jon Lester records 2,000th career strikeout, hits first career home run on same day
Lester, who will start the Cubs' second regular-season game next Tuesday against the Angels, had never hit a home run in his professional career at any level -- Minor League, big leagues or Spring Training. He has four hits in 98 career regular-season at-bats. Lester started his career 0-for-66 at the plate before tallying his first hit in July 2015, during his first season with the Cubs. He played his entire career in the American League until signing with the Cubs prior to the 2015 season. It took him until July of that season to collect his first hit, snapping an MLB-record 0-for-66 to start his career at the plate.

Lester finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. He also struck out seven batters and allowed six hits in seven innings of work. In all seriousness, it’s these types of moments that make baseball fans go wild.
Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News Digital.

"The runs and all that stuff, I try not to pay attention to that . The big thing for me is not a lot of walks, which is good. It means I'm staying in the zone consistently and getting early contact." Last July 6, Lester ended a streak of 67 career at-bats without a hit when he singled off his buddy, John Lackey, who was pitching for the Cardinals. Now, Lackey and Lester are teammates again on the Cubs. The two have a little competition going this season regarding their hitting. That was the first career homer for Lester and it probably carries more weight under the circumstances.
A bit later, Lester recorded his ninth strikeout of the night, which was good for the 2,000th in his career. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream Cubs games easily on your device.
Even when pilling up on an opponent — the Cubs scored eight runs in the second inning against the Twins — you never expect a guy like Lester to crank one out of the park. When he does it feel every bit as magical as any other single game achievement. Righty Chad Bettis will start in a Minor League game Thursday. "That's my big thing is making my starts and getting my innings -- that's all I really care about," he said.
“I texted him 'Nice homer.' That definitely made me chuckle night. That saying certainly still holds up for Lester, who helped the Nationals blow out the Marlins Monday night — with his arm and bat. “‘Never lost with 12 runs and air-tight defense,’” the Cubs manager recalled Tuesday.

With the Cubs already leading the Pirates 7-0 in the third inning, Lester helped his own cause at the plate. The Cubs starting pitcher took Pirates pitcher Chris Stratton deep for his first home run of 2019. The 406-foot blast is only the second home run in Lester’s career. His first came last August against the Diamondbacks and landed in the same area in left field. Yes, the man who didn’t have a hit in his first 36 at-bats now has a designated landing zone in the Wrigley bleachers. "We weren't allowed to swing most of the time," Lester said of his pre-Cubs days.
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